Vector magnetic field sensor and method for manufacturing vector magnetic field sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to a vector magnetic field sensor (10, 12, 14) for measuring at least one Z magnetic field component perpendicular to an X / Y plane in which a Wheatstone bridge arrangement (V11, V12, V13, V21, V22, V23) of four magnetoresistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) is arranged, two of which form half-bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) of the Wheatstone bridge arrangement, the Z-component magnetic sensitivity directions of each of the resistor pairs of each half-bridge are opposite to each other, and the Z-component magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors of the two half-bridges arranged in parallel are opposite to each other. It is suggested that each resistor comprises at least two or more resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) connected in series, each resistor strip consisting of a series connection of a plurality of TMR elements (16) arranged along a strip path (30), a ferromagnetic flux-guiding element (24) being arranged immediately adjacent to each resistor strip, the contour line (34) of said flux-guiding element following said strip path, the in-plane pinning directions (up, down) of the TMR elements of the resistors (R11-R22, R12-R21) arranged diagonally in pairs are oriented vertically towards or away from the contour line such that the sensor signal terminals (S +, S-) of the two half-bridges of the Wheatstone bridge arrangement are sensitive to the Z magnetic field component. On the other hand, the invention relates to a manufacturing method of the vector magnetic field sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vector magnetic field sensor for measuring at least one Z magnetic field component perpendicular to an X / Y plane, wherein a Wheatstone bridge configuration of four magnetoresistive resistors R11, R12, R21 and R22 is arranged. Two of the resistors R11-R12 and R21-R22 form a half bridge of the Wheatstone bridge configuration. The directions of the Z component magnetic sensitivities of each of a pair of the resistors R11-R12 and R21-R22 of each half bridge are opposite to each other, and the directions of the Z component magnetic sensitivities of the parallel-aligned resistors R11-R21 and R12-R22 of the two half bridges R11-R12 and R21-R22 are opposite to each other.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing such a vector magnetic field sensor. Background Art

[0003] Such magnetic field sensors are known for measuring the Z component of a magnetic field in the X / Y plane by means of a magnetoresistor arranged on a substrate in the X / Y plane.

[0004] For example, EP3045926A1 discloses a single-chip Z-axis magnetic field sensor. The sensor includes a substrate, a magnetoresistive sensing element as a magnetic field resistor, and a flux guiding element for guiding a Z-oriented magnetic field into an X / Y-oriented magnetic field component. The magnetoresistive sensing elements are electrically connected to each other to form a push arm and a pull arm of a Wheatstone bridge; the push arm and the pull arm are arranged alternately, and the magnetoresistive sensing elements on the push arm and the pull arm are respectively located on both sides below the flux guiding element. The magnetization direction of the pinned layer of each magnetoresistive sensing element is the same and in the X-axis direction. The external magnetic field in the Z-axis direction is converted by the flux guiding element into a magnetic field having a component in the X-axis direction, so the magnetoresistive sensing element below the flux guiding element can detect the component. The magnetoresistive sensing element is completely covered below the flux guiding element, which makes the manufacturing process very difficult.

[0005] EP3025162A proposes a magnetic field sensor device for determining two or three components of a magnetic field. The sensor device comprises at least one Wheatstone bridge having two half bridges, wherein each half bridge comprises at least two bridge resistors. At least one of the two bridge resistors is a magnetic field sensitive resistor with respect to a magnetic field component in an X / Y magnetic field sensor plane. A ferromagnetic flux guiding element generating a magnetic field component is symmetrically arranged between the two magnetic field sensitive bridge resistors, and these magnetic field components are anti-symmetrical with respect to a Z magnetic field component oriented perpendicular to the X / Y magnetic field sensor plane and are located in the X / Y magnetic field sensor plane.

[0006] Similarly, EP3006896A discloses a three-axis digital compass, which includes two X-axis magnetic sensors, two Y-axis magnetic sensors, a magnetic flux guiding element, a signal sampling unit, a signal processing unit and a signal output unit. The X-axis magnetic sensor and the Y-axis magnetic sensor are arranged around the magnetic flux guiding element. The external magnetic field is distorted when passing through the magnetic flux guiding element. When passing through the magnetic flux guiding element, the Z-axis component of the external magnetic field is converted into an X-axis or Y-axis magnetic field component, and the external magnetic field component thus converted acts on the X-axis and Y-axis magnetic sensitive sensors. The output signals of the X-axis and Y-axis magnetic sensitive sensors are sent to the signal processing unit through the signal sampling unit and are used to calculate the three orthogonal components of the external magnetic field. These calculated external magnetic field components are output in digital format through the signal output unit.

[0007] Document JP2012127788A teaches a magnetic sensor capable of detecting external magnetic fields of multiple axes. The magnetic sensor includes: a plurality of magnetoresistance effect elements S1 to S3 formed by stacking magnetic layers and non-magnetic layers and applying magnetoresistance effect; and a soft magnetic material arranged in a non-contact position by each magnetoresistance effect element and an insulating layer. Such magnetoresistance effect elements S1 to S3, in which the fixed magnetization direction P1 of the fixed magnetic layer points to the X1-X2 direction, are arranged at the two sides X1-X2 of the soft magnetic material used as a magnetic flux guiding element in a plan view. The magnetoresistance effect elements S1 and S3 and the magnetoresistance effect element S2 have fixed magnetization directions P1 in opposite directions to each other. It is required that the pinning directions on the same side of the magnetic flux guiding element are pinned in opposite directions.

[0008] In the prior art, the manufacturing process is quite complex, time-consuming and expensive. In addition, most known Z-axis sensors are sensitive to the in-plane magnetic field component and are therefore inaccurate when measuring the Z component alone. The reason is that the magnetoresistive elements located on opposite sides of the flux guiding element have the same pinning direction, which makes the sensor sensitive to the external in-plane magnetic field component in the X / Y direction and reduces the accuracy of the pure Z component measurement.

[0009] In contrast to the above-mentioned prior art, the object of the present invention is to reduce the disadvantages of the known arrangements. In particular, a vector magnetic field sensor for measuring the Z component perpendicular to the X / Y plane (where the various elements of the sensor are arranged) should be insensitive to the in-plane magnetic field component in the X / Y plane, should be inexpensive to manufacture and should also have smaller dimensions than the prior art.

[0010] The above disadvantages are solved by a vector magnetic field sensor and a method for producing the same according to the independent claims. Advantageous further developments of the invention form the subject matter of the dependent claims. Summary of the invention

[0011] In a first invention aspect, a vector magnetic field sensor for measuring at least one Z magnetic field component perpendicular to an X / Y plane is proposed. The sensor includes a Wheatstone bridge configuration of four magnetoresistors R11, R12, R21, R22, which are arranged in the X / Y plane for measuring at least one Z component of an external magnetic field. Two of the resistors R11, R12, R21, R22 form a half-bridge R11-R12, R21-R22 of the Wheatstone bridge configuration. The Z component magnetic sensitivity directions of each of a pair of the resistors R11, R12, R21, R22 of each half-bridge R11-R12, R21-R22 are opposite to each other, and the Z component magnetic sensitivity directions of the parallel-arranged resistors R11-R21, R12-R22 of the two half-bridges R11-R12, R21-R22 are opposite to each other.

[0012] It is proposed that each resistor R11, R12, R21, R22 comprises at least two or more resistor strips connected in series. Each resistor strip consists of a series connection of a plurality of TMR elements arranged along a strip path. A ferromagnetic flux guiding element is arranged in the immediate vicinity of each resistor strip. The contour line of the flux guiding element follows the strip path. The in-plane pinning directions of the TMR elements of the resistors R11-R22, R12-R21 arranged diagonally in pairs are oriented vertically toward or away from the contour line, so that the sensor signal terminals S+, S- of the two half-bridges R11-R12, R21-R22 of the Wheatstone bridge configuration are sensitive to the Z magnetic field component.

[0013] In other words, a vector magnetic field sensor is proposed, which includes a Wheatstone bridge configuration with two half bridges. Each half bridge includes two resistors R11-R12 and R21-R22 connected in series. Resistors R11 and R21 and R12 and R22 are arranged in parallel. Resistor pairs R11 and R22 and R12 and R21 are arranged diagonally to each other. Each resistor includes at least a single or multiple resistor strips of TMR elements connected in series. A flux guiding element is assigned to each resistor strip in close proximity. "Immediate vicinity" means that the lateral distance between the resistor strip and the flux guiding element is so small that nothing else, in particular no other functional or structural elements, can be arranged between the resistor strip and the flux guiding element. The flux guiding element may also partially overlap with the resistor strip. Conventionally, each resistor strip is associated with a separate flux guiding element. Alternatively, resistor strips of different resistors may share a flux guiding element and be arranged on opposite sides of the flux guiding element. The TMR element of each resistor is pinned, i.e. has a magnetic sensitivity direction oriented perpendicularly towards or away from the contour of the flux guiding element. Such selective pinning can be produced by at least temporarily depositing a ferromagnetic pinning element adjacent to the resistor strip and applying a Z-oriented magnetic field so that the X / Y stray field generated by the pinning element establishes a pinning direction perpendicular to the contour of the pinning element. The pinning element can remain on the sensor substrate, thereby establishing the flux guiding element, whereby the pinning direction of the resistor strip is oriented perpendicularly and away from the contour of the flux guiding element; or, it can be removed and a separate flux guiding element can be deposited on the opposite side of the strip path, such that the pinning direction is oriented perpendicularly and towards the contour of the flux guiding element. Since the diagonally arranged resistors R11-R22 and R12-R21 have the same relative pinning direction towards or away from the flux guiding element, the pinning directions of the two pairs of R11-R22 and R12-R21 are opposite to each other with respect to the flux guiding element, so that the Z sensitivity of the Wheatstone bridge configuration is provided. Assuming that the flux guiding elements are all arranged on the same side of the associated resistor strip relative to an in-plane direction, such as the X-direction or the Y-direction, the relative pinning arrangement provides insensitivity to in-plane external magnetic field components, which are external magnetic field components oriented in the plane and having at least one X-component and / or Y-component. To this end, the sensor is sensitive to the Z component of the external magnetic field, but not to the X or Y components of the external magnetic field, thereby decoupling the sensitivity to the external vector magnetic field. In addition, since the Wheatstone bridge configuration has a compact size and the number of TMR elements with the same resistance characteristics for all resistors is scalable, the accuracy of the sensor design is improved. The pinning operation of all TMR elements can be performed simultaneously, thereby greatly reducing the manufacturing time and complexity.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment, the in-plane pinning direction of the TMR element of each resistor strip can be oriented in the X / Y plane. Thus, the pinning direction and the magnetic sensitivity axis are oriented in the X / Y plane, so that the pinning magnetic field that determines the sensitivity axis can be provided as a stray field of the Z-oriented processing magnetic field, thereby generating an X / Y stray field as a magnetic field deflection of the ferromagnetic pinning element during the manufacturing process. To this end, an arbitrary in-plane pinning direction in the X / Y plane can be provided, and all TMR elements can be pinned simultaneously.

[0015] In general, the number of TMR elements in the resistor strips can be arbitrary. In an advantageous embodiment, each resistor strip can include at least 6 to 8, preferably 12 or more TMR elements. The minimum number, preferably even more TMR elements, is advantageous in terms of improved SNR ratio, ESD persistence (Electro Static Discharge) and sheet resistance characteristics.

[0016] The conventional form of the strip path is a straight line segment. In an advantageous embodiment, the strip path may be bent, curved or angled. Thus, an adaptive profile form of such a strip path as a bent, curved or angled segment may provide a space-saving sensor design. In addition, the profile form may provide filtering of higher harmonic error components of the sensor design, as has been proposed, for example, in WO 2016 / 083420. Advantageously, the strip path may be at an angle of 30°, 36° or 60° for filtering higher harmonic error components to improve the insensitivity of the in-plane component for sensing the Z-oriented magnetic field component.

[0017] In an advantageous embodiment, the lateral distance between the resistor strip and the flux guiding element may be smaller than the width Δw of said flux guiding element. The distance between the contour of the flux guiding element and the contour of the resistor strip is at least smaller than the width of the flux guiding element and typically smaller than any functional element of the sensor device, i.e. so small that no other functional or structural elements can be placed between the resistor strip and the flux guiding element. It is even possible that the distance is negative, i.e. the flux guiding element may partially overlap the resistor strip. The maximum distance between the resistor strip and the flux guiding element is smaller than half the distance between adjacent flux guiding elements. A factor determining the lateral distance is the amplitude of the field attenuation caused by the distance for the desired field strength to be measured.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the resistor strips of different resistors R11, R12, R21 and R22 may share the same flux guiding element. The shared flux guiding element provides a space-saving sensor design and provides a uniform field distribution in the resistor strips of different resistors. Conventionally, the resistor strips of different resistors are arranged on opposite sides of a common shared flux guiding element. The flux guiding element may deflect the Z component of the magnetic field with X / Y components in opposite directions on both lateral sides, thereby affecting two parallel-arranged resistor strips with opposite in-plane magnetic components. If the two resistor strips are pinned in the same in-plane direction, the Z component results in opposite ohmic behavior of the two resistor strips; if the two resistor strips are pinned in opposite in-plane directions, the ohmic behavior of the two resistor strips is the same.

[0019] In an advantageous embodiment, each resistor R11, R12, R21, R22 may comprise at least four resistor strips arranged in a zigzag manner, preferably the resistor strips of a pair of resistors within a half-bridge R11-R12, R21-R22 or the parallel arranged resistor pairs R11-R21, R12-R22 of two half-bridges R11-R12, R21-R22 may be arranged in an interdigital arrangement with respect to each other. Thus, each resistor comprises a series connection of four or more resistor strips, which may be arranged in a zigzag manner, thereby providing a space-saving and compact layout in the sensor design. The resistor strips of two resistors (preferably such two resistors forming a half-bridge of a Wheatstone bridge or two resistors arranged in parallel) may be arranged in an interdigital arrangement, i.e. the arrangement of the resistor strips of the two resistors is nested in each other, so that the spatial arrangement of the advantageously zigzag arrangement of the series connection of the resistor strips is staggered with respect to each other.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment, the ferromagnetic shielding of the Wheatstone bridge configuration can be provided by a ferromagnetic shielding element arranged along the perimeter of the Wheatstone bridge configuration. The ferromagnetic shielding surrounds the arrangement of the Wheatstone bridge for measuring the Z component in the perimeter and is conventionally composed of a ferromagnetic element, which can be a single ferromagnetic element or a plurality of separate ferromagnetic blocks arranged along the perimeter. External magnetic field components in the X / Y plane are shielded and do not penetrate the sensing surface of the Z sensor Wheatstone bridge arrangement. Thus, an improved insensitivity to in-plane magnetic field components in arbitrary directions is provided.

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment, the flux guiding element may have a length (Δl) to width (Δw) ratio of >5, preferably >10, in particular >20. Thus, the flux guiding element has a thin and elongated outer profile with a much smaller width compared to its length, thereby allowing a very compact design of each resistor comprising a series connection of a plurality of resistor strips, wherein each resistor strip is arranged adjacent to the flux guiding element. Typically, the ferromagnetic pinning element may have a similar or identical shape, or the pinning element is identical to the flux guiding element. The length of the flux guiding element is as long as the length of the resistor strips, and its width is typically in the same ratio as the width of the resistor strips. The material of the flux guiding element and the pinning element is the same and comprises a ferromagnetic material with a magnetic permeability μ>>1, such as iron, cobalt or nickel.

[0022] In an advantageous embodiment, the in-plane connecting wires connecting the corresponding contact pads for the voltage supply VCC, GND can have the same resistance value, and the corresponding in-plane connecting wires connecting the contact pads for the sensor signal terminals S+, S- can have the same resistance value. At this point, the electrical characteristics caused by the ohmic characteristics of the Wheatstone bridge are unbalanced with each other. The same resistance value can be obtained by designing connecting wires with the same cross-section, the same material and the same length, or by different lengths and different cross-sections to provide the same ohmic resistance value for the connection points connecting the contact pads to the Wheatstone bridge, thereby improving the accuracy and sensitivity of the sensor. In an advantageous embodiment, the arrangement of the resistors R11, R12, R21 and R22 in the X / Y plane can be symmetrical with respect to the center of gravity of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, and / or mirror-symmetrical with respect to the symmetry line of the Wheatstone bridge configuration.

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment, the Wheatstone bridge configuration can be made insensitive to the in-plane magnetic field component by the same in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors R11, R12, R21, R22 of each half-bridge R11-R12, R21-R22 of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, or the same in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors R11-R21, R12-R22 arranged in parallel of the two half-bridges R11-R12, R21-R22 of the Wheatstone bridge configuration, or the opposite in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors R11-R22, R12-R21 arranged diagonally of the two half-bridges R11-R12, R21-R22 of the Wheatstone bridge configuration. The magnetic sensitivity direction is related to the pinning direction of the TMR elements included in the resistor strip forming each resistor. In the case of the same sensitivity direction, all pinning directions are the same; in the case of opposite sensitivity directions, the pinning directions are opposite. The insensitivity to the entire in-plane magnetic field is achieved by the same pinning direction of all resistor strips of the Wheatstone device or by such a pinning configuration that does not allow the output signal to drift due to the compensating ohmic behavior of the resistors involved. Thus, the same magnetic sensitivity of the resistors of the half-bridge, the resistors arranged in parallel or the resistors arranged diagonally contributes to the insensitivity of the entire in-plane magnetic field component, making the sensor device insensitive to external X- or Y-magnetic fields. In this range, the layout scheme of the resistor strips and the ferromagnetic pinning elements applied during the manufacturing process dominate the said insensitivity to the in-plane magnetic component.

[0024] In an advantageous embodiment, the in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors R11, R12, R21, R22 of each half-bridge R11-R12, R21-R22 in the Wheatstone bridge configuration may be angled, preferably perpendicular to each other; and / or the in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors R11-R21, R12-R22 of the parallel arrangement of two half-bridges R11-R12, R21-R22 in the Wheatstone bridge configuration may be angled, preferably perpendicular to each other. Within this range, the pinning direction and / or the arrangement direction of the resistor strips of the bridge resistors, or the parts of the resistor strips connected in series to form the resistor strips, may be angled to each other, thereby providing a vector rectangular arrangement of the pinning directions, i.e. the magnetic sensitivity directions in the X / Y plane, thereby decoupling the X component and the Y component. The angled configuration reduces the number of TMR elements sensitive to the X component or the Y component of the external field, thereby reducing the sensor sensitivity to the in-plane magnetic component.

[0025] In a second inventive aspect, a first manufacturing method is proposed, wherein, in a first step for pinning the TMR element of at least one resistor strip, a ferromagnetic pinning element is deposited in the X / Y plane adjacent to a first lateral side of a strip path of the resistor strip, the at least one resistor strip having a positive resistance gradient for a Z-oriented magnetic field component. In a next step, a Z-oriented magnetic pinning field is applied for pinning the TMR element by means of an in-plane stray field of the ferromagnetic pinning element. In a subsequent step, the ferromagnetic pinning element is removed from the X / Y plane; and in a subsequent step, a flux guiding element is deposited in the X / Y plane on a second lateral side of the strip path opposite to the first lateral side. At least a portion of the resistor strip included in the Wheatstone bridge is pinned by the pinning element temporarily deposited on the first lateral side of its contour by means of the Z-oriented machining field, after which the flux guiding element is deposited on the second opposite lateral side. Within this scope, an arrangement of a flux guiding element parallel to a resistor strip is provided, wherein the pinning directions of all TMR elements included in the resistor strip are directed perpendicularly to the flux guiding element. The first manufacturing method provides a combination of a flux guiding element and a resistor strip having magnetic sensitivity characteristics opposite to that of a combination of a flux guiding element and a resistor strip, wherein the flux guiding element is also used as a pinning element.

[0026] In an advantageous embodiment of the first method, each half-bridge R11-R12, R21-R22 may comprise: a first resistor R11, R12, R21, R22, comprising a resistor strip, wherein a ferromagnetic pinning element is arranged on a first lateral side identically to the magnetic flux guiding element; and a second resistor R11, R12, R21, R22, wherein the second resistor R11, R12, R21, R22 may comprise a resistor strip, wherein the ferromagnetic pinning element is temporarily arranged on a first lateral side of the strip path opposite to the magnetic flux guiding element during the pinning process, the magnetic flux guiding element being arranged later on a second lateral side of the strip path after the pinning process. The configuration is suitable for such resistors comprising different groups of resistor strips having opposite sensitivity characteristics to the Z-oriented magnetic field component. Advantageously, the number of resistor strips of the first resistor and the second resistor is the same, so that half of the ohmic value of all resistors provides opposite Z-magnetic sensitivity.

[0027] In an advantageous embodiment of the first method, the ferromagnetic pinning element may be identical to the flux guiding element and therefore not removed during the manufacturing process. The embodiment proposes removing the pinning element after pinning and depositing the flux guiding element on the opposite side of the pinning strip of the second resistor, but retaining the pinning element of the first resistor as the flux guiding element, which saves manufacturing time and costs.

[0028] In a third inventive aspect, a second manufacturing method is proposed, wherein, in a first step for pinning a TMR element of at least one resistor strip, the resistor strip having a positive resistance gradient for a Z-oriented magnetic field component, the TMR element is pinned by an in-plane magnetic pinning field in the X / Y plane, and in a subsequent step, a ferromagnetic flux guiding element is deposited adjacent to the resistor strip. In contrast to the first manufacturing method, the processing magnetic field is applied as an in-plane magnetic field, which is applicable to a uniform pinning direction for all resistor strips involved in the pinning process. The second manufacturing method does not utilize either a (temporarily) deposited ferromagnetic pinning element or a Z-oriented processing magnetic field, and provides a uniform overall pinning direction for all TMR elements in the resistor strips involved. In this range, the deposition and subsequent removal of ferromagnetic pinning elements becomes unnecessary, and all TMR elements have the same pinning direction, so that the Z-sensitivity characteristics are dominated by the arrangement scheme of the subsequently deposited flux guiding elements.

[0029] In an advantageous embodiment of the second method, first and second resistor strips may be arranged on opposite lateral sides of the ferromagnetic flux guiding element, each of said resistor strips belonging to one of a pair of parallel arranged resistors R11-R21 and R12-R22. By depositing the flux guiding element between the resistor strips of the parallel arranged resistors, opposite Z sensitivity characteristics of the parallel arranged resistors are obtained, which makes the sensor device sensitive to the Z magnetic field component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Further advantages are disclosed by the accompanying drawings and the related description of the drawings. The drawings show exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The drawings, the description and the claims contain many features in combination. Those skilled in the art can also conveniently consider these features individually and combine them into more meaningful combinations.

[0031] In the attached picture:

[0032] Figures 1a-1f : A circuit diagram showing various Wheatstone bridge configurations as embodiments of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2a-2j : shows a schematic layout of resistor strips and flux guiding elements according to different embodiments of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 : shows a schematic layout of a Z-component magnetic field sensor on an X / Y plane according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 : shows a schematic layout of a Z-component magnetic field sensor on an X / Y plane according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 : shows a schematic layout of a Z-component magnetic field sensor on an X / Y plane according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 : shows a schematic layout of a Z-component magnetic field sensor on an X / Y plane according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 7 : shows a schematic layout of a 3D magnetic field sensor on an X / Y plane according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] In the drawings, like elements are denoted by like reference numerals. The drawings show examples only and are not to be construed as limiting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Figures 1a-1f The Wheatstone bridge arrangement V11 to V13, V21 to V23 of an embodiment of a Z-component magnetic field sensor is shown. Each Wheatstone bridge arrangement has power supply voltage terminals VCC (power supply voltage) and GND (ground) and output signal terminals S+, S-, and the output signal terminals S+, S- have a voltage signal offset according to the amplitude of the Z-component field strength. Each resistor R11, R12, R21 and R22 of the Wheatstone bridge arrangement has an in-plane magnetic sensitivity direction in the X / Y plane, which is depicted by a vector arrow and provided by the in-plane pinning direction of the TMR element of the resistor. In addition, each resistor R11, R12, R21 and R22 has a Z sensitivity direction, which is depicted by the tip or tail sign of the vector arrow oriented in the Z direction outward or inward relative to the X / Y plane, and is provided by a flux guiding element (not shown) adjacent to the resistor strip in combination with the in-plane pinning direction of the resistor strip of each resistor.

[0041] All configurations show the same Z sensitivity characteristics, where the parallel-arranged resistor pairs R11-R22 and R12-R21 have the same Z magnetic sensitivity directions opposite to each other. In these embodiments, the parallel-arranged resistors R11-R22 show a Z sensitivity direction oriented outward relative to the X / Y plane (the tip of the vector arrow), while the resistors R12-R21 show a Z sensitivity direction oriented toward the X / Y plane (the tail of the vector arrow).

[0042] Figures 1a to 1c Configurations V11 to V13 show different configurations of the in-plane pinning directions, while the Z sensitivity direction is the same.

[0043] Figure 1aConfiguration V11 is shown where all four bridge resistors R11, R12, R21 and R22 have the same in-plane Y sensitivity direction. Figure 1b In the configuration V12, the resistor pairs R11-R21 and R12-R22 arranged in parallel have the same sensitivity directions opposite to each other. Figure 1c Configuration V13 includes two half-bridges R11 - R12 and R21 - R22 having the same Y sensitivity direction, but the Y sensitivity directions of the two half-bridges are opposite to each other.

[0044] Figure 1d to Figure 1f The configurations V21 to V23 show a Wheatstone bridge orientation, where the sensitivity directions within the plane of the half-bridge resistors R11 - R12 ( V22 , V23 ) and R21 - R22 or between the half-bridges ( V21 ) are oriented perpendicular to each other.

[0045] Within this range, Figure 1d Configuration V21 shows a first half bridge R11-R12 where the in-plane sensitivity directions are oriented in the Y direction and are identical to each other in the -Y direction. A second half bridge R21-R22 shows in-plane sensitivities aligned in the X direction identical to each other in the +X direction.

[0046] Figure 1e and 1f Configurations V22 and V23 are shown, where the in-plane sensitivity directions of each half-bridge R11 - R12 and R21 - R22 are oriented perpendicular to each other.

[0047] Figure 1e Configuration V22 is shown, where resistors R11 - R21 arranged in parallel have the same -Y sensitivity direction, and R21 - R22 have the same +X sensitivity direction.

[0048] Figure 1f V23 shows diagonally arranged resistors R11-R22 with opposite in-plane directions on the Y-axis, and diagonally arranged resistors R12-R21 with opposite in-plane directions on the X-axis.

[0049] All Wheatstone bridge directions are insensitive to the in-plane X-field component and Y-field component of the external magnetic field, but are highly sensitive to the Z-oriented external magnetic field component. Although configurations V11 to V23 show basic configurations, the axis configurations can be directly rearranged. In addition, since each resistor can include multiple resistor strips, each resistor strip has a specific in-plane X / Y sensitivity direction and a Z sensitivity direction, enhanced embodiments including combinations of V11 to V23 configurations on the resistor level are also included in the present invention. For example, the resistor can include a first group of resistor strips with a Y sensitivity direction and a second group of resistor strips with a +X sensitivity direction, so that the depicted configuration can also be applied in a single resistor layout, thereby providing higher harmonic filtering of the angular error component.

[0050] Figures 2a to 2j Different embodiments of resistor strips 100 to 118 with ferromagnetic flux guiding and / or pinning elements 22, 24, 26 are shown, which have specific Z-component sensitivities. Each resistor strip 100 to 110 includes a plurality of TMR elements 16 connected in series by conductive connecting elements 18. Two connecting elements 18 on different layers of the X / Y substrate overlap the TMR elements 16 to form a strip of TMR elements 16. At both ends of the strip, contact areas 20 provide electrical connection pads for wiring with other resistor strips 100 to 110 to form resistors R11, R12, R21 or R22 in a Wheatstone bridge arrangement. Along the lateral sides of each resistor strip 100 to 110, adjacent ferromagnetic flux guiding elements 24 are arranged, or ferromagnetic pinning elements 22 are temporarily deposited and removed after the pinning process is completed. In the drawings, the ferromagnetic flux guiding elements 24 are drawn with longitudinal hatching and the ferromagnetic pinning elements 22 are drawn with transverse hatching. A combined ferromagnetic element serving as pinning element 22 and flux guiding element 24 is drawn with cross hatching.

[0051] The following sensor arrangements are made up of Figures 2a to 2f The embodiment shown is composed of resistor strips 100 to 110. Figures 2a to 2f Each of the diagrams also includes a graph of resistor R showing its magnetic sensitivity in the in-plane + / -Y direction by a vector arrow, and magnetic sensitivity in the Z direction by the tip and tail of the vector arrow oriented outward from or toward the X / Y plane.

[0052] Each ferromagnetic pinning element 22, ferromagnetic flux guiding element 24 and combined ferromagnetic pinning and flux guiding element has a length Δl and a width Δw. Each of the elements 22, 24 and 26 has a contour line 34 adjacent to the resistor strips 100 to 110 along the strip path 30 of the resistor strips 100 to 110. The lateral distance between the contour line 34 and the resistor strips 100 to 110 is so close that no other structural or functional elements can be placed between them. In general, the lateral distance can be close to zero or can even be negative, but short-circuiting of the TMR element 16 is prevented. The distance can be adjusted according to the magnitude of the field strength of the Z magnetic field component to be measured.

[0053] Figure 2a A first embodiment of a resistor strip 100 is shown. The resistor strip 100 comprises a straight line of 24 TMR elements 16 connected in series by conductive elements 18 located on different substrate layers of the sensor. The resistor strips 100 may be electrically connected at contact areas 20. The TMR elements 16 comprise a plurality of functional layers; in a manufacturing step, at least one layer having ferromagnetic properties is pinned in an in-plane pinning direction, thereby providing a magnetic sensitivity direction in said pinning direction. In this embodiment, the TMR elements 16 are pinned in the Y direction. This is done by depositing a combined ferromagnetic pinning and flux guiding element 26 adjacent to the strip path 30 of the resistor strip 100. A Z-directed machining field is applied at a so-called pinning temperature, so that a Y-directed stray field perpendicular to the contour 34 of the ferromagnetic elements 26 pins the TMR elements 16. After the pinning step, the pinning elements 22 act as flux guiding elements 24, thereby providing a combined pinning and flux guiding element 26. Here, the pinning element has a specified Z-axis sensitivity that is governed by the relative arrangement of the pinning element 22 with respect to the flux guiding element 24. In this embodiment, the sensitivity may remain sensitive in the +Y direction.

[0054] In the following embodiments of resistor strips 102 to 110, most features are identical to those of resistor strip 100. Therefore, only the deviating and distinguishing features are described.

[0055] Figure 2b A configuration of the resistor strip 102 is shown, wherein in the pinning step, the ferromagnetic pinning element 22 is temporarily deposited in a positive Y displacement from the resistor strip 102. After the pinning step is completed, the pinning element 22 is removed and the ferromagnetic flux guiding element 24 is deposited in a negative displacement from the resistor strip 102. The displacement width from the pinning element 22 to the resistor strip 102 and the displacement width from the flux guiding element 24 to the resistor strip 102 may be the same or may be different. Thus, an opposite Z sensitivity direction opposite to the resistor strip 100 may be provided, while the Y sensitivity directions of the resistor strips 100 and 102 are the same.

[0056] Figure 2c and 2d A similar configuration of resistor strips 104 and 106 is shown. Figure 2c Display with Figure 2b The resistor strip 102 has an opposite Y sensitivity direction but the same Z sensitivity direction as the resistor strip 104. The same applies Figure 2d The resistor strip 106 has a Figure 2a The resistor strips 100 have opposite Y sensitivity directions but the same Z sensitivity directions.

[0057] Figure 2e and Figure 2f Shows that following Figure 2a 1. Two resistor strip embodiments 108 and 110 of the design configuration of the resistor strip 100. The two resistor strips 108, 110 have a +Z sensitivity direction and a +Y sensitivity configuration.

[0058] Although the resistor strip 100 is arranged in a series of TMR elements 16 along a straight line of the strip path 30, Figure 2e The strip path 30 of the resistor strip 108 and its adjacent combined pinning and flux guiding element 26 shown in FIG. is at an angle of 60° in the middle portion. Within this range, half of the TMR element 16 is pinned at an angle of -30° to the Y axis, and the other half of the TMR element 16 is pinned at an angle of +30° to the Y axis. Thus, the strip path 30 at a 60° angle provides three times (3 rd )Filtering of harmonic angle error components.

[0059] Figure 2f The resistor strips 110 and combined pinning and flux guiding elements 26 described in are bent along a semi-circular profile, thereby providing a plurality of angled TMR elements 16 for filtering a plurality of higher order angular error components of the in-plane magnetic field.

[0060] Figure 2g and 2h Resistor strips 112, 114 are shown having in-plane pinning directions and therefore are not pinned by the stray fields of the pinning element 22 generated by the Z-directed processing field. Figure 2g The resistor strips 112 and Figure 2h The resistor strips 114 have the same +Y oriented pinning direction. The ferromagnetic element is deposited at a positive Y distance ( Figure 2g ) and the negative Y distance from the resistor strip 114 ( Figure 2h), resulting in the opposite Z-axis sensitivity of the resistor strip 112 relative to the resistor strip 114. The use of the resistor strips 112, 114 eliminates the deposition of the specific pinning elements 22, thereby making the resistor strips 112, 114 easier and faster to manufacture than the resistor strips 100-110 that require a Z-directed processing field to generate the pinning stray field of the pinning elements 22, but require the application of an in-plane pinning field.

[0061] Figure 2i and 2j Two resistor strips 116, 118 designed for in-plane magnetic sensitivity are shown. In this context, the two resistor strips 116, 118 do not have adjacent flux guiding elements 24, but rather have temporarily deposited pinning elements 22 that are deposited before the pinning step and removed after the pinning step during the manufacturing process. Figure 2i The Y sensitivity of the resistor strip 116 is related to Figure 2j The Y sensitivity of the resistor strip 118 is the opposite of the +Y displacement of the pinning element 22w versus (vs) the -Y displacement. The resistor strips 116, 118 are suitable for sensing the in-plane X component or Y component of a full three-axis magnetic field sensor, such as Figure 7 shown.

[0062] Figures 3 to 7 Different embodiments 10.1 to 10.5 of a vector magnetic sensor arrangement on an X / Y substrate are shown. Each embodiment 10.1 to 10.5 comprises a Z-axis magnetic field sensor 14, Figure 7 Embodiment 10.5 shows a full 3D vector magnetic field sensor 12 .

[0063] Each sensor 12, 14 comprises an embodiment of a Wheatstone bridge configuration V11-V13, V21-V23 and comprises contact pads 28 for voltage supply VCC, GND and signal output S+, S-. The contact pads 28 for voltage supply VCC, GND are connected to the Wheatstone bridge configuration via voltage supply connection lines 36, which have the same resistance value, i.e. the same cross section and length. The contact pads 28 for signal output S+, S- are connected to the Wheatstone bridge configuration via voltage supply connection lines 36, which have the same resistance value, i.e. the same cross section and length.

[0064] Figure 3 A first embodiment 10.1 of a Z-axis magnetic sensor 14.1 is depicted. The Z-sensor 10.1 comprises four bridge resistors R11, R12, R21 and R22 arranged in a cross shape with a sensor layout in the X / Y plane having a vertical mirror symmetry (Y-axis symmetry plane). Each resistor R11, R12, R21 and R22 comprises a resistor according to Figure 1aThe four resistor strips 100 , 102 of the Wheatstone bridge configuration V11 are shown in a zigzag arrangement.

[0065] Resistors R11 and R22 are also made up of Figure 2a The four resistor strips 100 shown are connected in series, and the resistors R12 and R21 are also composed of Figure 2b The resistor strips 100 and 102 are formed by a series connection of four resistor strips 102 shown. The two sets of resistors R11-R22 and R12-R21 have opposite Z-axis sensitivities but the same Y-axis sensitivity, which makes them highly sensitive to the Z-axis magnetic field but also remains insensitive to the external in-plane X-magnetic field or Y-magnetic field. During the manufacturing process, the ferromagnetic pinning element 22 is deposited on the +Y side of each resistor strip 100, 102.

[0066] While the ferromagnetic pinning element 22 remains within the resistor strip configuration 100 of the resistors R11, R22 to form a combined pinning and flux guiding element 26, the pinning element 22 is removed after the pinning step in a subsequent manufacturing step of the resistor strip 102 of the resistors R12, R21 and is replaced by a ferromagnetic flux guiding element 24 on the -Y side of the resistor strip 102, thereby providing an opposite Z-axis sensitivity of the resistors R12, R21 in the opposite direction of the resistors R11, R22.

[0067] exist Figure 4 In a, a second embodiment 10.2 of the Z-axis magnetic sensor 14.2 is shown. The overall electrical design follows Figure 2a The first embodiment shown in Figure 1a The Wheatstone bridge arrangement V11 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 1 . In this range, resistors R11 and R22 are identical, and R12 and R21 are identical. Resistors R11 and R22 have opposite Z-axis magnetic sensitivities compared to resistors R12 and R21. Compared to embodiment 10.1 in which each resistor comprises four resistors 100 and 102, respectively, each of resistors R11 and R22 comprises thirty resistors such as Figure 2a The resistor strip 100 is shown in series connection, and the resistors R12 and R21 include 30 Figure 2b The series connection of the resistor strips 102 is shown. All resistors R11-R22 have the same Y-axis in-plane sensitivity and are therefore insensitive to in-plane external magnetic field components. In this regard, the second embodiment 10.2 exhibits an increased dependence of the resistors on the Z-axis magnetic field, which makes it more sensitive to Z magnetic field changes compared to embodiment 10.1.

[0068] Since the space of the Wheatstone bridge arrangement on the substrate increases due to the large number of resistor strips 100 , 102 , the contact pads 28 are arranged in an inner section of the sensor arrangement.

[0069] Figure 5 Another alternative embodiment 10.3 of the Z-axis magnetic field sensor 14.3 is shown. The Wheatstone bridge arrangement of the sensor 10.3 follows Figure 1a The schematic diagram V11 shown in FIG. Figure 2g , 2h The resistor strips 112, 114 shown are composed. Compared with embodiments 10.1 and 10.2, in which the ferromagnetic pinning element 22 is at least temporarily deposited during the manufacturing step for pinning by the Z-directed processing field, the resistor strips 112, 114 are pinned by the in-plane processing field. Multiple pairs of resistor strips 112, 114 connected in series along the zigzag path of the resistors R11 and R21 share the same flux guiding element 24. The zigzag layout of the resistor strips 112, 114 is nested in another in the form of interdigitated fingers, thereby providing a space-saving arrangement of the resistor pair R11 on the sensor substrate. Since all the resistor strips 112, 114 are pinned, for example, in the +Y direction, the flux guiding element 24 generates an opposite Y-directed stray field of the Z-directed external magnetic field, thereby exposing the resistor strips 112 of the resistors R11, R22 and the resistor strips 114 of the resistors R12, R21 in opposite directions. Therefore, all resistors R11-R22 show the same Y-axis sensitivity based on the same in-plane pinning direction, but the resistor pair R11, R22 shows the opposite magnetoresistive behavior to the resistor pair R12, R21 for the Z-oriented external magnetic field. Therefore, the Z-axis magnetic field sensor 14.3 is an alternative solution to the other embodiments 14.1, 14.2 and 14.4, 12.

[0070] Figure 6 Shows that following Figure 1d Another embodiment 10.4 of the Z-axis magnetic field sensor 14.4 of the Wheatstone bridge arrangement V21 is shown. The overall design of the vector magnetic field sensor 10.4 is similar to Figure 3 . Compared to sensor 10.1, the in-plane orientation of resistors R21, R22 is rotated 90° counterclockwise, so the in-plane sensitivities of the half-bridge resistors R21-R22 are oriented in the same direction along the X-axis. Therefore, the half-bridge R11-R12 has a common in-plane magnetic sensitivity direction on the Y-axis, while the half-bridge R21-R22 shows a common in-plane magnetic sensitivity direction along the X-axis. The Z-axis sensitivity of sensor 10.4 is the same as that of sensor 10.1, but the angled in-plane sensitivity direction increases the insensitivity to external in-plane magnetic field directions at arbitrary angles. In addition, the 90° rotation makes the sensor more robust against pinning errors.

[0071] Figure 7An embodiment 10.5 of a full 3D magnetic field sensor 12 for sensing a three-axis magnetic field is shown. The sensor 12 comprises three Wheatstone bridge arrangements for sensing the X, Y and Z components of an external magnetic field.

[0072] The Wheatstone bridge for sensing the Z-axis component is located in the center of the sensor arrangement and follows Figure 3 14.1 Design principle of the Z-axis magnetic field sensor arrangement.

[0073] Two pairs of bridge sensors Rx11-Rx12 and Rx21-Rx22 and two pairs of bridge sensors Ry11-Ry12 and Ry21-Ry22 are arranged on diagonal edges of the sensor design to provide a symmetrical Wheatstone bridge arrangement for sensing the X magnetic field component and the Y magnetic field component in a plane. Therefore, each resistor includes Figure 2i , 2j The resistor strips 116, 118 are shown connected in a zigzag series. The resistor pairs Rx11-Rx12, Rx21-Rx22, Ry11-Ry12 and Ry21-Ry22 forming the respective half bridges are nested within each other in an interdigitated fashion, thereby providing a compact form of each half bridge of the X and Y sensor arrangement.

[0074] All resistor strips may be pinned simultaneously in a manufacturing step by a Z-directed processing field, thereby providing uniform pinning conditions for all TMR elements 16 of all three Wheatstone bridge arrangements.

[0075] Contact pads 28 for supply voltages GND, VCC and sensor signals Sx+ / Sy-, Sy+ / Sy- and Sz+ / Sz- are arranged on the outer perimeter of the sensor arrangement. Magnetic shielding of the Z sensor arrangement located in the center of the sensor arrangement is provided by a rectangular sequence of ferromagnetic shielding elements 32, which surround the resistors Rz11, Rz12, Rz21, Rz22 of the Z-axis Wheatstone bridge arrangement V11 constituting the three-axis magnetic field sensor 10.5, 12. The shielding element 32 can also be applied for flux guidance, so the flux guiding elements 22, 24, 26 and 32 can be used for pinning, flux guidance and shielding, and support field robustness and shielding against external parasitic fields.

[0076] The flux guiding elements 22, 24, 26 are placed on either side of the TMR element 16 to determine the pinning direction and / or the direction of the Z-axis sensitivity. Typically, a single Z-axis machining magnetic field provides all pinning directions for the sensor arrangement. The ferromagnetic elements 22, 24, 26 act as antennas for the Z-directed magnetic field to convert the magnetic field into in-plane components in the two lateral directions of the ferromagnetic element for pinning or for sensing.

[0077] Additional flux guiding spheres can be added for in-plane field components to enhance the sensor's stray field robustness. The flux guiding shield can reduce unwanted parasitic field components in specific sensor directions, thereby enhancing the active sensor area and lowering the noise floor of the sensor output signal.

[0078] Reference numerals:

[0079] 10 Vector magnetic field sensor 12 Three-axis magnetic field sensor

[0080] 14Z-axis magnetic field sensor 16TMR element

[0081] 18 connecting element 20 contact area

[0082] 22 ferromagnetic pinning element 24 ferromagnetic flux guiding element

[0083] 26 combined pinning and flux guiding element 28 contact pad

[0084] 30 strip paths 32 ferromagnetic shielding elements

[0085] 34 Outlines of flux guiding and / or pinning elements

[0086] 36 Voltage supply connection line

[0087] 38 sensor signal connection line

[0088] 100 Resistor strip with positive in-plane gradient and negative Z gradient

[0089] 102 Resistor strip with positive in-plane gradient and positive Z gradient

[0090] 104 Resistor strip with negative in-plane gradient and positive Z gradient

[0091] 106 Resistor Strip with Negative In-Plane Gradient and Negative Z Gradient

[0092] 108 Resistor strips with angled strip paths

[0093] 110 Resistor strip with curved strip path

[0094] 112 Resistor Strips with In-Plane Pinning

[0095] 114 Resistor Strips with In-Plane Pinning

[0096] R11, R12, R21, R22 magnetic sensitive resistors

[0097] Δl is the length of the ferromagnetic element

[0098] Δw is the width of the ferromagnetic element

[0099] V11, V12, V13 have two branches of magnetic sensitivity axis parallel Z sensor

[0100] The first, second and third Wheatstone bridge configurations

[0101] V21, V22, V23 have angled

[0102] First, second and third Wheatstone bridge configuration for the Z sensor of the magnetic sensitivity axis

[0103] VCC, GND supply voltage

[0104] S+, S- sensor signal output.

Claims

1. A vector magnetic field sensor (10, 12, 14) for measuring at least one Z magnetic field component perpendicular to an X / Y plane, wherein a Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12V13, V21, V22, V23) of four magnetoresistive resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) is arranged in the X / Y plane, two of the resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) forming the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12V13, V21, V22, V23) V13, V21, V22, V23) half bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22), the directions of the Z-component magnetic sensitivities of each of the resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22) pairs of each half bridge (R11-R12, R21-R22) are opposite to each other, and the directions of the Z-component magnetic sensitivities of the resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) arranged in parallel of the two half bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) are opposite to each other, characterized in that: Each resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22) comprises at least two or more resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) connected in series, each resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) being composed of a series connection of a plurality of TMR elements (16) arranged along a strip path (30), a ferromagnetic flux guiding element (24) being disposed in close proximity to each resistor strip Adjacent to the strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110), the contour line (34) of the flux guiding element (24) follows the strip path (30), and the in-plane pinning directions (↑, ↓) of the TMR elements (16) of the resistors (R11-R22, R12-R21) arranged diagonally in pairs are oriented vertically towards or away from the contour line (34), so that the sensor signal terminals (S+, S-) of the two half bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12 V13, V21, V22, V23) are sensitive to the Z magnetic field component.

2. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to claim 1, characterized in that The in-plane pinning direction (↑,↓) of the TMR element (16) of each resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) is oriented in the X / Y plane.

3. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Each resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) includes at least 6 to 8, preferably 12 or more TMR elements (16).

4. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The strip path (30) is bent, curved or angled.

5. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A lateral distance between the resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) and the flux guiding element (24) is smaller than a width (Δw) of the flux guiding element (24).

6. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) of different resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) share the same flux guiding element (24).

7. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Each resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22) comprises at least four resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) arranged in a zigzag manner, preferably, the resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) of the resistor pairs within a half-bridge (R11-R12, R21-R22) or the resistor pairs (R11-R21, R12-R22) arranged in parallel of two half-bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) are arranged in an interdigitated manner.

8. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Ferromagnetic shielding of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12 V13, V21, V22, V23) is provided by ferromagnetic shielding elements (32) arranged along the perimeter of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12 V13, V21, V22, V23).

9. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The flux guidance element (24) has a length (Δl) to width (Δw) ratio of >5, preferably >10, in particular >20.

10. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that In-plane connection lines (36) connect corresponding contact pads (28) for voltage supply (VCC, GND) with the same resistance value, and corresponding in-plane connection lines (38) connect contact pads (28) for sensor signal terminals (S+, S-) with the same resistance value.

11. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The arrangement of the resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) in the X / Y plane is symmetrical with respect to the center of gravity of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12 V13, V21, V22, V23) and / or is mirror-symmetrical with respect to the symmetry line of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12 V13, V21, V22, V23).

12. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12 V13, V21, V22, V23) are insensitive to in-plane magnetic field components, which is achieved either by the same direction of in-plane magnetic sensitivity of the resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) of each half bridge (R11-R12, R21-R22) of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V13, V21), or by the same direction of in-plane magnetic sensitivity of the resistors (R11-R21, R12-R22) arranged in parallel of the two half bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V11, V12, V22), or by the opposite directions of in-plane magnetic sensitivity of the resistors (R11-R22, R12-R21) arranged diagonally of the two half bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) of the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V12, V13, V23).

13. The sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the resistors (R11, R12, R21, R22) of each half-bridge (R11-R12, R21-R22) in the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V22, V23) are angled, preferably perpendicular to each other, and / or the in-plane magnetic sensitivity directions of the parallel-arranged resistors of the two half-bridges (R11-R12, R21-R22) in the Wheatstone bridge configuration (V21, V23) are angled, preferably perpendicular to each other.

14. A method for producing a sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: In a first step for pinning the TMR element (16) of at least one resistor strip (102, 104) having a positive resistance gradient for a Z-oriented magnetic field component, a ferromagnetic pinning element (22) is deposited on the X / Y plane adjacent to a first lateral side of the strip path (30) of the resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110), in a next step a Z-oriented magnetic pinning field is applied for pinning the TMR element (16) by means of an in-plane stray field of the ferromagnetic pinning element (22), in a subsequent step the ferromagnetic pinning element (22) is removed from the X / Y plane, and in a subsequent step a magnetic flux guiding element (24) is deposited on the X / Y plane on a second lateral side of the strip path (30) opposite to the first lateral side.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Each half-bridge (R11-R12, R21-R22) comprises a first resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22) and a second resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22): the first resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22) comprises a resistor strip (100, 106, 108, 110) having a ferromagnetic pinning element (22) arranged on the first lateral side identically to a magnetic flux guiding element (24); the second resistor (R11, R12, R21, R22) comprises a resistor strip (102, 104) having a ferromagnetic pinning element (22) temporarily arranged on the first lateral side of the strip path (30) opposite to a magnetic flux guiding element (24) which is later arranged on the second lateral side of the strip path (30).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The ferromagnetic pinning element (22) is identical to the flux guiding element (24) and is therefore not removed during the manufacturing process.

17. A method for producing a sensor (10, 12, 14) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 13, wherein: In a first step for pinning a TMR element (16) of at least one resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) having a positive resistance gradient for a Z-oriented magnetic field component, the TMR element (16) is pinned by an in-plane magnetic pinning field in the X / Y plane, and in a subsequent step a ferromagnetic flux guiding element (24) is deposited adjacent to the resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110).

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: A first resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 108-110) and a second resistor strip (100, 102, 104, 108-110) are arranged on opposite lateral sides of the ferromagnetic flux guiding element (24), each of the resistor strips (100, 102, 104, 108, 110) belonging to one of a pair of resistors (R11-R12, R21-R22) arranged in parallel.

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