Magnetic sensor
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorsKazuhiro ONAKA, Noritaka ICHINOMIYA, Shigehiro YOSHIUCHI, Kiyotaka YAMADA
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Abstract
A magnetic sensor includes a first magnetoresistive element that detects a magnetic field along a first detection axis, a second magnetoresistive element that detects a magnetic field along a second detection axis inclining at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the first detection axis, a first Hall element that detects a magnetic field along a third detection axis, and a second Hall element that detects a magnetic field along a fourth detection axis perpendicular to the third detection axis. This magnetic sensor has both characteristics of the Hall elements and characteristics of the magnetoresistive elements, and has high accuracy and a small size.
Claims4
A magnetic sensor comprising:
- a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
- a first magnetoresistive element disposed on the first surface of the substrate;
- a second magnetoresistive element disposed on the first surface of the substrate;
- a first magnet facing the first magnetoresistive element and applying, to the first magnetoresistive element, a magnetic bias in a first direction;
- a second magnet facing the second magnetoresistive element and applying, to the second magnetoresistive element, a magnetic bias in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction:
- a first metal layer disposed above the first magnet and the second magnet to be located away from an upper surface of the first magnet by a first distance;
- a second metal layer disposed below the first magnet and the second magnet to be located away from a lower surface of the first magnet by a second distance, wherein
- the first metal layer covers the upper surface of the first magnet and an upper surface of the second magnet when viewed from above the magnetic sensor, and
- the second metal layer covers the lower surface of the first magnet and a lower surface of the second magnet when viewed from below the magnetic sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.