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US 8,680,854 B2Granted
Semiconductor GMI magnetometer
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsTerry Dyer, Anuraag Mohan, Peter J. Hopper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A giant magneto-impedance (GMI) magnetometer is formed in a semiconductor wafer fabrication sequence, which significantly reduces the size and cost of the GMI magnetometer. The semiconductor wafer fabrication sequence forms a magnetic conductor, a non-magnetic conductor that is wrapped around the magnetic conductor as a coil, and non-magnetic conductors that touch the opposite ends of the magnetic conductor.
Claims18
A semiconductor magnetometer comprising:
- a semiconductor structure having a bottom surface, a top surface, and a cavity that extends from the top surface down into the semiconductor structure, the cavity having a bottom surface that lies above and vertically spaced apart from the bottom surface of the semiconductor structure;
- a die adhesively attached to the bottom surface of the cavity, the die having a plurality of external electrical connection points;
- a non-conductive structure that touches the die and the top surface of the semiconductor structure;
- a magnetic conductor that touches the non-conductive structure, the magnetic conductor having a first end region and a second end region;
- a first non-magnetic conductor that touches the non-conductive structure, the first non-magnetic conductor being electrically connected to the die, and wound around the magnetic conductor in a spiral to form a coil;
- and
- a second non-magnetic conductor that touches the non-conductive structure, the second non-magnetic conductor being electrically connected to the first end region of the magnetic conductor.
4 more elements
A method of forming a semiconductor magnetometer comprising:
- forming a magnetic conductor that touches a non-conductive structure, the non-conductive structure touching and lying over a die, the magnetic conductor having a first end region and a second end region;
- forming a first non-magnetic conductor that touches the non-conductive structure, the first non-magnetic conductor being electrically connected to the die, and wound around the magnetic conductor in a spiral to form a coil;
- forming a second non-magnetic conductor that touches the non-conductive structure, the second non-magnetic conductor being electrically connected to the first end region of the magnetic conductor;
- attaching the die to a bottom surface of a cavity in a semiconductor structure, the die having a plurality of external electrical connection points;
- forming the non-conductive structure to touch the die and the top surface of the semiconductor structure;
- forming a third non-magnetic conductor that touches the non-conductive structure, the third non-magnetic conductor being electrically connected to the second end region of the magnetic conductor.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.