Method and Apparatus for Defined Magnetizing of Permanently Magnetizable Elements and Magnetoresistive Sensor Structures
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorsUdo Ausserlechner, Thomas Bever, Dirk Hammerschmidt, Joachim Weitzel
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a sensor arrangement with a sensor chip. A magnetic field generator is configured to generate a secondary magnetic field opposing an external primary magnetic field at the sensor chip. The magnetic field generator protects the sensor arrangement against the external primary magnetic field.
Claims25
A method of monitoring alignment of a magnetic field of a reference magnet with respect to a magnetic field sensor structure comprising a magnetic field main sensor structure and an associated magnetic field auxiliary sensor structure, the method comprising:
- detecting the magnetic field penetrating the magnetic field sensor structure and providing a reference signal based on the magnetic field by the magnetic field auxiliary sensor structure;
- and
- determining a deviation of the alignment of the magnetic field of the reference magnet by comparing the reference signal with a set signal corresponding to a predetermined magnetic field distribution of the magnetic field in a detection plane of the magnetic field auxiliary sensor structure.
A method of protecting a sensor arrangement comprising a sensor chip against an external primary magnetic field, the method comprising:
- generating a secondary magnetic field opposing the external primary magnetic field at the sensor chip.
An apparatus comprising:
- a sensor arrangement comprising a sensor chip;
- and
- a magnetic field generator configured to generate a secondary magnetic field opposing an external primary magnetic field at the sensor chip, the magnetic field generator protecting the sensor arrangement against the external primary magnetic field.
An arrangement comprising:
- a magnetic field sensor element comprising a fixedly associated non-magnetized hard magnetic material structure arranged in a common component, wherein the hard magnetic material structure can be magnetized into a permanent magnet comprising a predetermined magnetization, and wherein the predetermined magnetization can be aligned with respect to the fixedly associated magnetic field sensor element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.