Hall element, hall sensor, and electronic device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of semiconductors, and disclose a Hall element, a Hall sensor, and an electronic device. The Hall element comprises a substrate, a Hall sensing layer, electrodes, a barrier layer, and a conductor pad. The Hall sensing layer is disposed on the substrate. There are a plurality of electrodes, and the plurality of electrodes are connected to the Hall sensing layer. The barrier layer is disposed on the side of the Hall sensing layer away from the substrate, and the barrier layer covers the Hall sensing layer. The conductor pad is disposed on the side of the barrier layer away from the Hall sensing layer, and the conductor pad is used to be grounded or connected to a preset voltage. By applying a potential to the barrier layer covering the Hall sensing layer by means of the conductive pad, not only can a depletion layer having a sufficient width be generated to limit the current flow direction, thereby generating an effective isolation effect, but also the thickness of the Hall sensing layer can be reduced to increase an induced Hall voltage value, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of Hall element sensing.

Description

Hall element, hall sensor and electronic device

[0001] This application incorporates by reference in its entirety the US patent application No. US 18 / 801,658 filed on August 12, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of semiconductor technology, in particular to a Hall element, a Hall sensor and an electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0003] Hall sensors have been widely used in engineering technical fields such as measurement and control. Hall sensors have the advantages of small size, light weight, long service life, low power consumption, low working condition requirement, etc. And because Hall sensors use electromagnetic effect for non-contact measurement, Hall sensors can measure without disturbing the measured object, which makes Hall sensors can be applied to many special occasions.

[0004] As the core component of Hall sensors, the performance parameters of Hall elements, including sensitivity, temperature stability and magnetic field strength sensing range, are crucial in the research and design process. Among them, sensitivity is the most core performance parameter target. Hall elements can be realized by a variety of structures and processing techniques, but these structures of Hall elements are either complex in structure and expensive in cost or low in performance parameters, which cannot meet the requirements of high sensitivity level Hall elements in actual application. TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a Hall element, a Hall sensor and an electronic device, which aims to improve the sensitivity of the existing Hall element.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a Hall element, comprising:

[0007] a substrate;

[0008] a Hall sensing layer, disposed on the substrate;

[0009] a plurality of electrodes, connected to the Hall sensing layer;

[0010] a barrier layer, disposed on the side of the Hall sensing layer away from the substrate, covering the Hall sensing layer;

[0011] a conductor pad, disposed on the side of the barrier layer away from the Hall sensing layer, used for grounding or connecting a preset voltage.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the Hall sensing layer is a NWELL layer or a DNW layer, the conductor contact pad is used for grounding; when the Hall sensing layer is a RW layer, the conductor contact pad is used for connecting a preset voltage.

[0013] In some embodiments, the Hall sensing layer comprises a central portion and four protruding portions, the four protruding portions are arranged along the circumference of the central portion and connected to the central portion to form a cross-shaped structure; the four protruding portions are respectively connected to the four electrodes.

[0014] In some embodiments, the Hall sensing layer further comprises a triangular connecting portion, any two adjacent protruding portions are connected by a triangular connecting portion to form an octagonal Hall sensing layer.

[0015] In some embodiments, the Hall sensing layer further comprises a circular-arc corner connecting portion, any two adjacent protruding portions are connected by a circular-arc corner connecting portion, and the profile line of the circular-arc corner connecting portion away from the central portion is a circular-arc line concave toward the central portion, wherein:

[0016] the radius of the circular-arc line is equal to one fourth of the protruding length of the protruding portion; or,

[0017] the radius of the circular-arc line is equal to one half of the protruding length of the protruding portion; or,

[0018] the radius of the circular-arc line is equal to the protruding length of the protruding portion.

[0019] In some embodiments, the conductor contact pad comprises:

[0020] a first corresponding portion, the first corresponding portion is arranged close to the central portion;

[0021] a second corresponding portion, the second corresponding portion is arranged close to the protruding portion;

[0022] a conductor connecting portion, the conductor connecting portion is provided with four, each second corresponding portion is connected to the first corresponding portion by a conductor connecting portion.

[0023] In some embodiments, the Hall sensing layer comprises at least one of a NWELL layer, a TWELL layer, a DNW layer, a RW layer, a PP layer, and a NP layer.

[0024] In some embodiments, the barrier layer comprises at least one of a PP layer, a RW layer, and a NP layer.

[0025] In some embodiments, the length and width of the Hall sensing layer are both 30 μm to 270 μm.

[0026] The present application also provides a Hall sensor comprising the Hall element described above.

[0027] The present application also provides an electronic device comprising the Hall sensor described above.

[0028] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application has at least the following advantages:

[0029] The Hall element provided by the present application can generate a sufficient-width depletion layer to limit the current flow direction, thereby generating an effective isolation effect, and can also reduce the thickness of the Hall sensing layer to improve the sensed Hall voltage value, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of the Hall element sensing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like elements, and in which:

[0031] Fig. 1 is a top view of a Hall element of a first embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig. 2a is a cross-sectional view of the Hall element of the first embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Fig. 2b is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2a at A;

[0034] Fig. 3 is a top view of a Hall sensing layer of the first embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a Hall element of a second embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a Hall element of a third embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig. 6 is a top view of a Hall sensing layer of a fourth embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig. 7 is a top view of a Hall sensing layer of a fifth embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 8 is a top view of a Hall sensing layer of a sixth embodiment of the present application. Embodiments of the present application

[0040] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the various embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art can understand that, in the various embodiments of the present application, many technical details are presented in order to make the readers better understand the present application. However, the technical solutions claimed by the present application can be implemented even without these technical details and based on various changes and modifications of the following embodiments.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "middle", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. These terms are mainly used to better describe the present application and its embodiments, and are not used to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to have a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0042] In addition, in addition to being used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship, the above-mentioned partial terms can also be used to indicate other meanings, for example, the term "upper" can also be used to indicate a certain dependent relationship or connection relationship in some cases. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of these terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0043] In addition, the terms "mount", "set", "provided with", "open", "connect", "connect" should be broadly understood. For example, it can be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally constructed; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two devices, elements or components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like are mainly used to distinguish different devices, elements or components (the specific types and structures can be the same or different), and are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance and quantity of the indicated devices, elements or components. Unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more.

[0045] The application provides a Hall element, and a first embodiment of the Hall element provided by the application is shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, the Hall element 1000 comprises a substrate 500, a Hall sensing layer 100, electrodes 200, a barrier layer 300 and a conductor pad 400, the Hall sensing layer 100 is arranged on the substrate 500; the electrodes 200 are arranged in plurality, the plurality of electrodes 200 are connected to the Hall sensing layer 100; the barrier layer 300 is arranged on a side of the Hall sensing layer 100 away from the substrate 500, and the barrier layer 300 covers the Hall sensing layer 100; and the conductor pad 400 is arranged on a side of the barrier layer 300 away from the Hall sensing layer 100, and the conductor pad 400 is used for grounding or connecting a preset voltage.

[0046] The Hall element 1000 provided by the application can generate a sufficient-width depletion layer to limit the current flow direction, thereby generating an effective isolation effect, and can also reduce the thickness of the Hall sensing layer 100 to improve the sensed Hall voltage value, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of the Hall element 1000.

[0047] The Hall element 1000 can be manufactured by a standard CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) process. The Hall element 1000 comprises the substrate 500, and the specific shape of the substrate 500 can not be specially limited, and the shape of the substrate 500 can be a regular octagon, a cross shape, a rectangle or a square.

[0048] The Hall sensing layer 100 is arranged on a side surface of the substrate 500, and the substrate 500 and the Hall sensing layer 100 are of opposite conductive types. For example, the doping type of the Hall sensing layer 100 can be selected as N-type doping, and the doping type of the substrate 500 can be selected as P-type doping; for another example, the doping type of the Hall sensing layer 100 can also be selected as P-type doping, and the doping type of the substrate 500 can also be selected as N-type doping.

[0049] The plurality of electrodes 200 are connected to the Hall sensing layer 100, and the plurality of electrodes 200 can input a bias current to the Hall sensing layer 100 and output a Hall voltage, wherein referring to FIG. 2a, the electrodes 200 can be one or more metal layers, for example, in the first embodiment, the electrodes 200 comprise metal layers M1-M6.

[0050] The barrier layer 300 is arranged on a side of the substrate 500 close to the Hall sensing layer 100, and the barrier layer 300 covers the Hall sensing layer 100, and the barrier layer 300 covers the Hall sensing layer 100 in a protection structure to serve as a barrier to block the current.

[0051] The conductor contact pad 400 is arranged on the side of the blocking layer 300 far from the Hall sensing layer 100, and is connected to a potential (0 or a preset voltage VDD). The blocking layer 300 is applied with a potential through the conductor contact pad 400, so as to generate a depletion layer with sufficient width, thereby generating an effective isolation effect and enhancing the sensitivity of the Hall element 1000. Referring to FIG. 2a, the conductor contact pad 400 can be one or more metal layers.

[0052] As can be seen from equation (1.1), if the blocking layer 300 on the Hall sensing layer 100 is applied with a potential, not only can a depletion region be generated to limit the current flow direction, but also the thickness t of the Hall sensing layer 100 can be reduced, thereby increasing the induced Hall voltage value V H .

[0053] V H = (R H / t)IB (1.1)

[0054] wherein R H is a Hall coefficient, t is the thickness of the Hall sensing layer 100, I is the current size, and B is the magnetic induction intensity. As can be seen from equation (1.1), when the current increases, the Hall voltage will increase with the current, and reducing the thickness of the Hall sensing layer 100 also has the same enhancing effect.

[0055] The conductor contact pad 400 is connected to ground or a preset voltage, and the specific way of applying a potential to the blocking layer 300 through the conductor contact pad 400 is related to the doping type of the Hall sensing layer 100. When the doping type of the Hall sensing layer 100 is N-type doping, the conductor contact pad 400 is connected to ground; when the doping type of the Hall sensing layer 100 is P-type doping, the conductor contact pad 400 is connected to the preset voltage VDD.

[0056] Optionally, referring to FIGS. 1-3, in a first embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 is an NWELL (N-well or NW, N-type well) layer, and the conductor contact pad 400 is used for grounding.

[0057] Optionally, referring to FIG. 4, in a second embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 is a DNW (deep N-well) layer, and the conductor contact pad 400 is used for grounding.

[0058] Optionally, referring to FIG. 5, in a third embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 is an RW layer, and the conductor contact pad 400 is used for connecting a preset voltage VDD.

[0059] The specific arrangement of the Hall sensing layer 100 can be determined according to actual conditions. The Hall sensing layer 100 can include at least one of a NWELL layer, a TWELL (T-well, shallow P-type well) layer, a DNW layer, a RW layer, a PP (PIMP, P+-type well) layer, and a NP (NIMP, N+-type well) layer. Similarly, the specific arrangement of the blocking layer 300 can be determined according to actual conditions. The blocking layer 300 can include at least one of a PP layer, a RW layer, and a NP layer. For example, one of a NWELL layer, a DNW layer, and a RW layer is used as the Hall sensing layer 100, and a PP layer or a NP layer is used as the blocking layer 300 on the Hall sensing layer 100. For another example, one of a PP layer and a NP layer is used as the Hall sensing layer 100, and the other is used as the blocking layer 300.

[0060] Optionally, referring to FIGS. 1-3, in a first embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 is a NWELL layer, and the blocking layer 300 is a PP layer.

[0061] Optionally, referring to FIG. 4, in a second embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 is a DNW layer, and the blocking layer 300 includes a RW layer and a PP layer. The RW layer covers the Hall sensing layer 100, and the PP layer is arranged on a side of the RW layer away from the Hall sensing layer 100.

[0062] Optionally, referring to FIG. 5, in a third embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 is a RW layer, and the blocking layer 300 includes a NP layer and a PP layer. The PP layer is arranged on an outer side of the NP layer.

[0063] Optionally, referring to FIGS. 1-3, in the first embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 includes a center portion 110 and four protruding portions 120. The four protruding portions 120 are arranged along a circumferential direction of the center portion 110 and connected to the center portion 110 to form a cross-shaped structure. The four protruding portions 120 are respectively connected to the four electrodes 200.

[0064] Specifically, the four protruding parts 120 form the first current source output / input end, the second current source output / input end, the first voltage sensing end and the second voltage sensing end of the Hall sensing layer 100 respectively at one end away from the center part 110. The four protruding parts 120 are defined as the first protruding part 120a, the second protruding part 120b, the third protruding part 120c and the fourth protruding part 120d respectively, the first protruding part 120a is arranged opposite to the third protruding part 120c, the first protruding part 120a is the first current source output / input end at one end away from the center part 110, the third protruding part 120c is the second current source output / input end at one end away from the center part 110, the second protruding part 120b is arranged opposite to the fourth protruding part 120d, the second protruding part 120b is the first voltage sensing end at one end away from the center part 110, and the fourth protruding part 120d is the second voltage sensing end at one end away from the center part 110.

[0065] The four electrodes 200 are the first electrode 200a, the second electrode 200b, the third electrode 200c and the fourth electrode 200d respectively, and the first electrode 200a, the second electrode 200b, the third electrode 200c and the fourth electrode 200d are connected to the first current source output / input end, the first voltage sensing end, the second current source output / input end and the second voltage sensing end of the Hall sensing layer 100 respectively.

[0066] The specific connection mode of the electrode 200 and the Hall sensing layer 100 can be set according to the actual situation. Optionally, referring to FIGS. 1-3, in the first embodiment, the outer side of the blocking layer 300 is provided with an NP layer, the electrode 200 is connected to the Hall sensing layer 100 through the NP layer, the Hall sensing layer 100 is an NWELL layer, and the electrical signal is transmitted from the NP layer to the NWELL layer.

[0067] Optionally, referring to FIG. 4, in the second embodiment, the blocking layer 300 includes an RW layer and a PP layer, the RW layer covers the Hall sensing layer 100, the PP layer is arranged on the side of the RW layer away from the Hall sensing layer 100, the Hall sensing layer 100 is a DNW layer, the outer sides of the RW layer and the PP layer are respectively provided with an NWELL layer and an NP layer, and the electrical signal is transmitted to the DNW layer in sequence through the NP layer and the NWELL layer. The NWELL layer is arranged intermittently, so that the four electrodes 200 are not connected through the NWELL layer.

[0068] Optionally, referring to FIG. 5, in the third embodiment, the blocking layer 300 includes an NP layer and a PP layer, the PP layer is arranged on the outer side of the NP layer, the Hall sensing layer 100 is an RW layer, the electrode 200 is connected to the Hall sensing layer 100 through the PP layer, the outer side of the RW layer is provided with an NWELL layer, and the Hall sensing layer 100 is inputted with the electrical signal through the PP layer. Therefore, the NP layer is used as the blocking layer 300, and the NP layer is connected to the highest potential.

[0069] The specific size of the Hall sensing layer 100 can be set according to actual conditions. Optionally, in the first embodiment, the length and width of the Hall sensing layer 100 are both 30 μm to 270 μm, for example, the length and width of the Hall sensing layer 100 can be both 30 μm, 45 μm, 90 μm, 180 μm, or 270 μm.

[0070] Optionally, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, in the first embodiment, the conductor contact pad 400 includes a first corresponding portion 410, a second corresponding portion 420, and a conductor connecting portion 430. The first corresponding portion 410 is arranged close to the center portion 110. The second corresponding portion 420 is arranged in four, and the four second corresponding portions 420 are arranged close to the four protruding portions 120, respectively. The conductor connecting portion 430 is arranged in four, and each second corresponding portion 420 is connected to the first corresponding portion 410 through one conductor connecting portion 430.

[0071] Specifically, the first corresponding portion 410 is opposite to the center portion 110, and the shape of the first corresponding portion 410 is generally adapted to the shape of the center portion 110, for example, the first corresponding portion 410 can be arranged in a square shape. The four second corresponding portions 420 are opposite to the ends of the four protruding portions 120 away from the center portion 110, respectively, and the four second corresponding portions 420 are close to the first electrode 200a, the second electrode 200b, the third electrode 200c, and the fourth electrode 200d, respectively. The shape of the second corresponding portion 420 is generally adapted to the shape of the electrode 200, for example, the second corresponding portion 420 and the electrode 200 can be arranged in a long strip shape. The four conductor connecting portions 430 are connected through the first corresponding portion 410, so that the conductor contact pad 400 is arranged in a cross shape.

[0072] As introduced above, the Hall sensing layer 100 has a cross-shaped structure, so that the Hall sensing layer 100 has four corners. In order to avoid excessive concentration of current at the four corners of the Hall sensing layer 100. Optionally, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, in the first embodiment, the Hall sensing layer 100 further includes a circular arc corner connecting portion 140, and any two adjacent protruding portions 120 are connected through one circular arc corner connecting portion 140. The profile line of the circular arc corner connecting portion 140 away from the center portion 110 is a circular arc line 141 which is concave towards the center portion 110.

[0073] Specifically, the Hall sensing layer 100 further includes four circular arc corner connecting portions 140, which are arranged at the four corners of the Hall sensing layer 100, respectively, so that the four corners of the Hall sensing layer 100 form four circular arc corners, thereby improving the problem of excessive concentration of current at the four corners of the Hall sensing layer 100.

[0074] Further, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, in the first embodiment, the radius of the circular arc line 141 is equal to the protruding length of the protruding portion 120.

[0075] Specifically, each protruding part 120 comprises a side line 121 away from the center part 110, and two connecting lines 122 connecting between the side line 121 and the center part 110, the protruding length of the protruding part 120 is the distance from the side line 121 to the center part 110, and is also the length of the connecting line 122, and the protruding length of the protruding part 120 is defined as d below, wherein the value range of d can be 30 μm to 90 μm, for example, d can be 30 μm, 60 μm or 90 μm.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, the radius R1 of the arc line 141 is equal to d, and the two ends of the arc line 141 of each arc corner connecting part 140 are connected to the side lines 121 of the adjacent two protruding parts 120, respectively.

[0077] Optionally, referring to FIG. 6, in the fourth embodiment, the radius of the arc line 141 is equal to one fourth of the protruding length of the protruding part 120.

[0078] Specifically, the radius R2 of the arc line 141 is equal to d / 4, and the two ends of the arc line 141 of each arc corner connecting part 140 are connected to the one fourth of the connecting lines 122 of the adjacent two protruding parts 120, respectively.

[0079] Optionally, referring to FIG. 7, in the fifth embodiment, the radius of the arc line 141 is equal to one half of the protruding length of the protruding part 120.

[0080] Specifically, the radius R3 of the arc line 141 is equal to d / 2, and the two ends of the arc line 141 of each arc corner connecting part 140 are connected to the one half of the connecting lines 122 of the adjacent two protruding parts 120, respectively.

[0081] Optionally, referring to FIG. 8, in the sixth embodiment, the Hall induction layer 100 further comprises a triangular connecting part 130, and any adjacent two protruding parts 120 are connected by one triangular connecting part 130 to form an octagonal Hall induction layer 100.

[0082] Specifically, the Hall induction layer 100 further comprises four triangular connecting parts 130, and the four triangular connecting parts 130 are arranged at the four corners of the Hall induction layer 100, respectively, each triangular connecting part 130 has a hypotenuse line 131 away from the center part 110, and the two ends of the hypotenuse line 131 of each triangular connecting part 130 are connected to the side lines 121 of the adjacent two protruding parts 120, respectively, so that the Hall induction layer 100 is arranged in an octagonal shape.

[0083] Further, referring to FIG. 8, in the sixth embodiment, the length of the hypotenuse line 131 is equal to , so that the Hall induction layer 100 is arranged in a regular octagon.

[0084] The application also provides a Hall sensor, which comprises a Hall element.

[0085] The application also provides an electronic device, which can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch or a camera, etc.

[0086] The Hall element, the Hall sensor and the electronic device provided by the embodiments of the application are described in detail above, and the principles and embodiments of the application are described by applying specific examples in this paper. The above description of the embodiments is only used to help understand the idea of the application, and the specific embodiments and application range can be changed. The content of the specification should not be understood as a limitation of the application.

Claims

1. A Hall element, comprising: a substrate; a Hall sensing layer disposed on the substrate; a plurality of electrodes disposed on the Hall sensing layer; a barrier layer disposed on a side of the Hall sensing layer away from the substrate, the barrier layer covering the Hall sensing layer; a conductor pad disposed on a side of the barrier layer away from the Hall sensing layer, the conductor pad being used for grounding or connecting a preset voltage.

2. The Hall element according to claim 1, wherein When the Hall sensing layer is a NWELL layer or a DNW layer, the conductor pad is used for grounding; when the Hall sensing layer is a RW layer, the conductor pad is used for connecting a preset voltage.

3. The Hall element according to claim 1, wherein The Hall sensing layer comprises a central part and four protruding parts, the four protruding parts being arranged along a circumference of the central part and connected to the central part to form a cross-shaped structure, and the four protruding parts are respectively connected to the four electrodes.

4. The Hall element according to claim 3, wherein The Hall sensing layer further comprises a triangular connecting part, any two adjacent protruding parts being connected by a triangular connecting part to form an octagonal Hall sensing layer.

5. The Hall element according to claim 3, wherein The Hall sensing layer further comprises a circular arc corner connecting part, any two adjacent protruding parts being connected by a circular arc corner connecting part, and a profile line of the circular arc corner connecting part away from the central part is a circular arc line concave toward the central part, wherein: a radius of the circular arc line is equal to one fourth of a protruding length of the protruding part; or a radius of the circular arc line is equal to one half of the protruding length of the protruding part; or a radius of the circular arc line is equal to the protruding length of the protruding part.

6. The Hall element according to claim 3, wherein The conductor pad comprises: a first corresponding part disposed close to the central part; four second corresponding parts, the four second corresponding parts being respectively disposed close to the four protruding parts; four conductor connecting parts, each second corresponding part being connected to the first corresponding part by a conductor connecting part.

7. The Hall element according to claim 1, wherein The Hall sensing layer comprises at least one of a NWELL layer, a TWELL layer, a DNW layer, a RW layer, a PP layer, and a NP layer; and / or The barrier layer comprises at least one of a PP layer, a RW layer, and a NP layer.

8. The Hall element according to claim 1, wherein The Hall sensing layer has a length and a width of 30 μm to 270 μm. 9.A Hall sensor comprising the Hall element according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 10.An electronic device comprising the Hall sensor according to claim 9.

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