Hall effect device with overlapping flux concentrators
AssigneeStandard Telephones and Cables, PLC
InventorsGillies D. Pitt, Philip Extance
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Hall effect device for responding to weak magnetic fields uses a small chip of gallium arsenide located between the overlapped ends of two flux concentrators. The spacing between the concentrators may be as small as 95 micrometers. The flux concentrator, which serve to enhance the device's sensitivity are made of amorphous magnetic material, i.e. a metallic glass, which has high permeability.
Claims18
A Hall effect device comprising a first flux concentrator comprising a thin ribbon of magnetic material having a high permeability and a tapered end portion;
- a second flux concentrator comprising a thin ribbon of a magnetic material having a high permeability and a tapered end portion;
- a Hall element;
- said tapered end portions of said first and second flux concentrators overlapping each other, and said Hall element being positioned between said first and second flux concentrators where they overlap.
A Hall effect device comprising:
- a Hall element;
- and
- a plurality of flux concentrators associated with said Hall element, each of said flux concentrators comprising a thin ribbon of a magnetic material having a high permeability,
- said magnetic material being an amorphous metallic glass;
- and
- each of said flux concentrators having a tapered end portion, the end portions of the flux concentrators overlapping said Hall element;
- and
- said Hall element being positioned between said overlapping end portions.
A Hall effect device comprising:
- a Hall element formed by a relatively thin plate of a semiconductor material incorporated into a chip having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less;
- and
- two flux concentrators associated with said Hall element, each said flux concentrator comprising a thin ribbon of a high permeability magnetic material, wherein
- each said flux concentrator has its end portion tapered in plan to a narrow blunt end;
- the two end portions of the flux concentrator overlap with the Hall element located between the narrow end portions and bonded to one of the flux concentrators;
- and
- the flux concentrators are as closely spaced as is compatible with the accommodation between them of the chip incorporating the Hall element, the arrangement being such that magnetic flux is guided by the concentrators from the wider portions thereof to the narrow portions and thus to the Hall element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.