Patent Application
20140266181
As known in the art, there are many safety critical applications for magnetic sensor integrated circuits (ICs). There are a variety of specifications directed to improving functional safety and achieving higher overall quality levels and lower field failure rates. For example, test modes for major functional parameters of an IC allow customers to implement test functionality prior to insertion on a printed circuit board, for example. However, after installation in a system or subsystem, such as an automobile, there are limited test opportunities to ensure that components are operating properly.
In one aspect of the invention, a magnetic field sensor comprises: a sensing element, an analog circuit path coupled to the sensing element for generating an output voltage proportional to a magnetic field applied to the sensing element, and a coil in proximity to the sensing element, the coil having a first terminal that is accessible external to the magnetic field sensor.
The magnetic field sensor can further include one or more of the following features: the sensing element comprises a magnetic sensing element, the magnetic sensing element comprises a Hall element, the magnetic sensing element comprises a magnetoresistance element, the integrated circuit comprises a linear current sensor, the magnetic field sensor comprises a closed loop magnetic sensor, the coil is located on an opposite side of the lead frame from the die and enclosed in an over molded package, and/or the coil is located on the opposite side of the lead frame from the die and enclosed in a housing.
In another aspect of the invention, a magnetic field sensor comprises: a lead frame having a first surface and a second opposing surface, a semiconductor die having a first surface in which a magnetic field sensing element is disposed and a second opposing surface attached to the first surface of the lead frame, a non-conductive mold material enclosing the die and at least a portion of the lead frame, and a conductive coil secured to the non-conductive mold material, wherein the coil has at least one terminal to provide a connection external to the magnetic field sensor.
The sensor can further include one or more of the following features: the non-conductive mold material encloses the coil, a second mold material, the second mold material is ferromagnetic, and/or a housing encloses said coil.
The foregoing features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood from the following description of the drawings in which:
Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic field sensor with external control of an on chip coil for generating a magnetic field for diagnostic/self test functionality, calibration, and/or back bias applications. In some embodiments, such conductive coils are formed on the semiconductor die itself. With this arrangement, a user can control a signal on the coil to meet the needs of a particular application. While exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown and described as having particular configurations, elements, and functions, it is understood that embodiments of the invention are applicable to magnetic field sensors in general in which external control of an internal coil is desirable.
In one aspect of the invention, magnetic sensor provides external control of an on chip coil to enable self-testing of a device to improve functional safety levels. Access to the coil also facilitates the manufacture of a closed loop sensor without the need to procure and assemble a compensation coil into a finished assembly.
As is known in the art, IS026262 is a specification for automotive OEMs directed to improving functional safety and achieving higher overall quality levels and lower field failure rates. Providing test modes for functional parameters of an IC in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention allows users to implement testing procedures at various stages of manufacture and use, such as after installation in an automobile. Thus, an IC can be tested after installation to ensure proper functioning. Providing test modes also improves functional safety in safety critical applications, such as accelerator pedal positioning. For example, a linear Hall IC having test functionality in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention can communicate that the IC is operating properly through self-test processing, which improves the functional safety of the entire throttle system.
En additional embodiments, an on chip coil with externally accessible terminals allows users of the magnetic sensor ICs to apply diagnostic magnetic fields to the sensing element to verify proper operation of the IC on an as needed basis, for example. In one embodiment having a closed loop system, accuracy of the system is increased by nearly eliminating the effects of sensitivity drift over temperature. In exemplary embodiments of the invention, an on-chip coil is used in a closed loop magnetic sensor.
The sensor IC senses current in a manner well known in the art. In general, a magnetic field sensing element, such as a Hall element 104, generates a voltage in response to an applied magnetic field. A dynamic offset cancellation module 106 ‘chops’ the signal and a signal recovery module 108 provides an output signal. Exemplary current sensing is shown and described for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,923,996, and U.S. Patent Publication No. US2011/001.8533, which are incorporated herein by reference. It is understood that other techiques can be used to meet the needs of a particular application.
As shown in
The magnetic field sensing element 104 in this and other embodiments can be, but is not limited to, a Hall effect element, a magnetoresistance element, or a magnetotransistor. As is known, there are different types of Hall effect elements, for example, a planar Hall element, a vertical Hall element, and a Circular Vertical Hall (CVH) element. As is also known, there are different types of magnetoresistance elements, for example, a semiconductor magnetoresistance element such as Indium Antimonide (InSb), a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance element (AMR), a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) element, and a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The sensing element 104 may include a single element or, alternatively, may include two or more elements arranged in various configurations, e.g., a half bridge or full (Wheatstone) bridge. Depending on the device type and other application requirements, the sensing element 104 may be a device made of a type IV semiconductor material such as Silicon (Si) or Germanium (Ge), or a type semiconductor material like Gallium-Arsenide (GaAs) or an Indium compound, e.g., Indium-Antimonide (InSb).
As is known, some of the above-described magnetic field sensing elements tend to have an axis of maximum sensitivity parallel to a substrate that supports the magnetic field sensing element, and others of the above-described magnetic field sensing elements tend to have an axis of maximum sensitivity perpendicular to a substrate that supports the magnetic field sensing element. In particular, planar Hall elements tend to have axes of sensitivity perpendicular to a substrate, while metal based or metallic magnetoresistance elements (e.g., GMR, TMR, AMR) and vertical Hall elements tend to have axes of sensitivity parallel to a substrate.
As used herein, the term “magnetic field sensor” is used to describe a circuit that uses a magnetic field sensing element, generally in combination with other circuits. Magnetic field sensors are used in a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, an angle sensor that senses an angle of a direction of a magnetic field, a current sensor that senses a magnetic field generated by a current carried by a current-carrying conductor, a magnetic switch that senses the proximity of a ferromagnetic object, a rotation detector that senses passing ferromagnetic articles, for example, magnetic domains of a ring magnet, and a magnetic field sensor that senses a magnetic field density of a magnetic field.
Exemplary embodments of the invention are appliable to a variety of sensing applications having a range of sensing elements. Exemplary sensors include magnetic field, for example automotive speed and position sensors, current sensors, or package scale NMR devices for use in chemical or biological applications. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are applicable to a wide range of applications in which sensing magnetic fields generated by moving magnets or flowing current are desirable. For example, exemplary embodiments of the invention are useful for performing diagnostic functions for a device installed in an automobile in safety critical applications.
In safety critical applications it is desirable to improve the safety integrity level (SIL) of the sensor, such as by using self-test diagnostics. As described more fully below, in exemplary embodiments of the invention, the analog signal path of a sensor can be stimulated and evaluated. In one embodiment, output accuracy of the device over temperature can be enhanced.
Current in the coil 204 stimulates the Hall element 202 at the front end of the sensing circuitry when current flows through the coil by generating a magnetic field. With this arrangement, the entire analog signal path can be tested.
By providing external control over the coil 204, the analog signal path programmed sensitivity can be analyzed by the end user very accurately. By applying a constant current through the coil 204, the magnetic field generated by the coil is fixed. This fixed magnetic field causes a deflection on the output of the analog output proportional to the gain of the analog signal path. Since the gain of the device is programmable and the coil is defined, the device can provide an accurate measurement of the analog signal path by the end user detecting the change in output voltage or output current in response to the applied coil stimulus or current.
Since a user can control the signal on the coil, certain failure modes can be forced to check for detection. In addition, the offset of the device in the offset cancellation module 106 can also be tested. Since the zero gauss field analog output voltage is programmed, the zero field output signal as well as the signal path gain can be self-tested with high accuracy. If it were to drift for some reason, the drift can be identified during the user-test.
With external control of the coil, a user can exercise the device to meet the needs of a particular application. For example, some users may want to do a quick functional check and other users may want to determine whether the sensitivity of the device is within some specified window.
It is understood that the ability to control a coil in a magnetic sensor is desirable for various applications. Coils are used in magnetic field sensors for various reasons, for example to generate a magnetic field for diagnostic or self test functionality as described above and in a U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/00211347, for calibration as is described in a U.S. Pat. No. 8,030,918, and/or for resetting a GMR magnetic field sensing element as described in a U.S. Pat. No. 8,063,634, each of which is assigned to the Assignee of the subject application and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In many instances, such conductive coils are formed on the semiconductor die itself.
In another aspect of the invention, a magnetic field sensor includes a coil with externally accessible terminals that functions as a back bias magnet, so as to provide a magnetic field which can be used to detect movement of a proximate target.
Referring to the cross-sectional view of
In use, the magnetic field sensor 300 like the other sensor embodiments described herein may be positioned in proximity to a moveable magnetically permeable ferromagnetic article, or target, such as the illustrated gear 312, such that the magnetic field transducer 322 is adjacent to the article 312 and is thereby exposed to a magnetic field altered by movement of the article. The magnetic field transducer 322 generates a magnetic field signal proportional to the magnetic field.
While the magnetic field sensor 300 in
The ferromagnetic article 312 may be comprised of a hard ferromagnetic, or simply hard magnetic material (i.e., a permanent magnet such as a segmented ring magnet), a soft ferromagnetic material, or even an electromagnet and embodiments described herein may be used in conjunction with any such article arrangement.
In embodiments in which the article 312 is comprised of a soft ferromagnetic material, the ferromagnetic mold material 330 is comprised of a hard ferromagnetic material to form a bias magnet; whereas in embodiments in which the article 312 is comprised of a hard ferromagnetic material, the ferromagnetic mold material 330 may be soft ferromagnetic material to form a concentrator, or a hard magnetic material where a bias field is desired (for example, in the case of a magnetoresistance element that is biased with a hard magnetic material or permanent magnet). In other embodiments the mold material 330 may be a nonconductive and non ferromagnetic mold material similar to the material for the first mold element 320. In embodiments in which the ferromagnetic mold material 330 comprises a hard ferromagnetic material to form a bias magnet and in which the sensor 300 is oriented relative to the target such that transducer 322 is closer to the target than the ferromagnetic mold material 330 as shown, the bias magnet may be referred to as a back bias magnet.
The magnetic field sensor 300 generally includes additional circuitry formed in the active surface 314a of the die 314 for processing the magnetic field signal provided by the transducer 322. The lead frame 318 includes leads 324a-324c for coupling the circuitry to system components (not shown), such as a power source or microcontroller. Electrical connection between the leads 324a-324c and the semiconductor die 314 can be provided with wire bonds 326a-326e, respectively as shown. While the sensor 300 is shown to include three leads 324a-324c, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various numbers of leads are possible. Other techniques for electrically coupling the lead frame leads to the sensor components include solder bumps or balls or pillar bumps.
The integrated circuit sensor 300 may be provided in the form of a two to six pin Single In-Line (SIP) package, or some other number of pins as appropriate. The die attach area 316 on the first surface 318a of a lead frame 318 is generally a dedicated area of the conductive lead frame to accept the semiconductor die 314. The die attach area 316 is sometimes referred to as a die attach paddle or a die attach pad and in some embodiments the die attach pad may be a silver plated or a NiPdAu area for example. Alternatively, as described in a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/350,970 entitled “Methods and Apparatus for a Magnetic Sensor having a Non-conductive Die Paddle” which was filed on Jan. 16, 2012 and assigned to the Assignee of the subject application, it may be desirable to form the die attach area with a non-conductive material, particularly in applications where Eddy currents can occur. Conventional techniques for securing the die 314 to the die attach area 316 include the use of adhesives, such as epoxy or an adhesive tape. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the die attach area may or may not be a contiguous area.
The non-conductive mold material 320 is comprised of a non-conductive material so as to electrically isolate and mechanically protect the die 314 and the enclosed portion of the lead frame 318. Suitable materials for the non-conductive mold material 320 include thermoset and thermoplastic mold compounds and other commercially available IC mold compounds. It will be appreciated that the non-conductive mold material 320 can contain a ferromagnetic material, such as in the form of ferromagnetic particles, as long as such material is non-conductive.
The non-conductive mold material 320 is applied to the lead frame/die subassembly to enclose the die 314 and a portion of the lead frame 318. The non-conductive mold material 320 has a first surface 320a and a second, opposing surface 320b. The shape and dimensions of the non-conductive mold material are selected to suit a particular IC package.
In some embodiments as noted above, the ferromagnetic mold material 330 is comprised of a hard or permanent magnetic material to form a bias magnet. As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, various materials are suitable for providing the ferromagnetic mold material 330 depending on the operating temperature range and final package size. In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the ferromagnetic mold material to have a coercivity larger than its remanence.
Illustrative hard magnetic materials for the ferromagnetic mold material include, but are not limited to hard magnetic ferrites, SmCo alloys, NdFeB alloy materials, or Plastiform® materials of Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corp., or other plastic compounds with hard magnetic particles, for example a thermoset polymer such as polyphenylene sulfide material (PPS) or nylon material containing SmCo, NdFeB, or hard ferromagnetic ferrite magnetic particles; or a thermoset polymer such as SUMIKON®EME of Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd or similar type of thermoset mold material containing hard magnetic particles. In some embodiments it may be desirable to align the hard ferromagnetic particles during molding to form a more isotropic or directional permanent magnetic material by molding in the presence of a magnetic field; whereas, in other embodiments, a sufficient magnet may result without an alignment step during molding for isotropic materials. It will be appreciated that a NdFeB or a SmCo alloy may contain other elements to improve temperature performance, magnetic coercivity, or other magnetic properties useful to a magnetic design.
In other embodiments, the ferromagnetic mold material 330 is comprised of a soft ferromagnetic material to form a concentrator. As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, various materials are suitable for providing the ferromagnetic mold material 30 in the form of a soft ferromagnetic material. In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the soft ferromagnetic mold material to have a relatively low coercivity and high permeability. Suitable soft ferromagnetic materials include, but are not limited to permalloy, NiCo alloys, NiFe alloys, steel, nickel, and soft magnetic ferrites.
The ferromagnetic mold material 330 is secured to the non-conductive mold material 320. The ferromagnetic mold material contacts the second surface 320b of the non-conductive mold material and also a portion of the sides of the non-conductive mold material between the first and second surfaces 320a, 320b, as shown.
In some embodiments, a portion of the non-conductive mold material 320 that contacts the ferromagnetic mold material 330 and/or the portion of the ferromagnetic mold material that contacts the non-conductive mold material has a securing mechanism in order to improve the adhesion between the two materials and to prevent or reduce lateral slippage or shear between the materials. As one example, the lead frame 318 has extensions 318c which extend beyond the non-conductive mold material and are enclosed by the ferromagnetic mold material, as shown. Such lead frame extensions additionally enhance the adhesion of the ferromagnetic mold material to the lead frame itself. In such embodiments utilizing lead frame portions as a securing mechanism such that the ferromagnetic mold material contacts such lead frame portions, it will be appreciated that the ferromagnetic mold material should be non-conductive or have a sufficiently low conductivity to prevent the leads from electrically shorting resulting in the device not operating as intended. Alternative forms of securing mechanisms are shown in other embodiments.
As is shown in
According to the alternative cross-sectional view of
The illustrative coil 33 on the other hand is positioned relative to the magnetic field sensing element 322 to function as a back bias magnet, so as to provide a magnetic field which can be used to detect movement of a proximate target. To this end, the coil 333 is positioned adjacent to the second surface 320b of the non-conductive mold material 320 so that the transducer 322 is closer to the target 312 than the coil 333, as shown. Here again, it will be appreciated that it may be desirable in certain applications to rotate the sensor by 180° so that the coil 333 is closer to the target than the transducer or to rotate the sensor by 90° so that the major face of the transducer is orthogonal to the target, thereby achieving a different type of magnetically sensitive sensor, as may be desirable when the transducer is a magnetoresistance element for example which has a different axis of sensing element sensitivity than a planar Hall element. It may also be desirable in an embodiment to rotate coil 333 such that its central axis is parallel to the surface of the die 314 for certain sensor configurations and sensing element combinations.
Various techniques and materials can be used to form the coil 333. For example, the coil can be formed from copper wire of various sizes and with various automated processes so as to provide an insulator between coil windings. The coil material selection, wire gauge selection, number of turns, and other design choices can be readily varied to suit a particular application so as to produce a magnetic field of a desired strength. The coil 333 may be formed so that each turn is in the shape of a circle, rectangle, or other shapes such as an oval, as desirable to suit a particular application and packaging arrangement.
The coil 333 may be secured to the second surface 320b of the non-conductive mold material 320 by various means. As one example, an adhesive, such as an epoxy, may be used to secure the coil in place. Once secured in place, the mold material 330 may be formed in the manner described above, such as by injection molding for example.
In operation, a bias current may be applied to the coil 333 which causes a bias magnetic field to be generated. The transducer 322 is responsive to perturbations in the magnetic field caused by movement of the target 312. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the mold material 330 can be provided in the form of a hard ferromagnetic material, a soft ferromagnetic material, or even a non-conductive material. For example, in embodiments in which the material 330 is a soft ferromagnetic material, the magnetic field generated by the coil 333 can be focused or otherwise concentrated as desired by the soft ferromagnetic mold material 330. Alternatively, in embodiments in which the material 330 is a hard ferromagnetic material, the magnetic field provided by the coil 333 can be used to modulate the magnetic field provided by the hard ferromagnetic material 330, in order to thereby reduce the peak current otherwise required to provide the same peak value of magnetic field strength when compared to the case of the coil alone (i.e., if the hard ferromagnetic mold material 330 were not present). In another embodiment, a separately formed element may be disposed in the central aperture 340.
When checking the part the for proper operation, such as or safety integrity level (SIL) the current applied to the coil is changed, for example, by a change in the input current applied to the coil externally from the package. As noted above, the coil current can be controlled via connection to one or two (or more) external pins of the package. The change in output voltage of the part should change due to the change in magnetic field caused by the change of coil current. The output voltage changed can be monitored, such as by user-test circuitry (see
In some embodiments, since the back bias functionality is provided by the coil, the mold material 330 may be eliminated entirely in which case the non-conductive mold material 320 with the coil 333 attached to its second surface 320b can be packaged to provide the resulting sensor IC. Such an arrangement can be provided in a package of the type described in a U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,865 or a U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,179, each of which is assigned to the Assignee of the subject application and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Referring now to
The non-conductive mold material 474 has a protrusion 486 extending away from a second surface 470b of the lead frame 470 as shown. The protrusion 486 may prevent there being a void in the bottom surface of the sensor 400 (adjacent to the second end 480b of the ferromagnetic mold material), since the presence of a void may make overmolding more difficult. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the protrusion may extend all or only part of the way to the second end 480b of the mold material.
The sensor includes a coil 433 that may the same as or similar to the coil 333 of
While the sensor 400 is shown to have a protrusion extending only partially through the mold material 480 to terminate before the second end 480b of the mold material, it will be appreciated that a similar sensor including a coil that may be (although is not required to be) concentrically disposed with respect to a protrusion of the non-conductive mold material can be provided with a protrusion extending to the second end 480b of the mold material 480.
In operation, a bias current may be applied to the coil 433 which causes a bias magnetic field to be generated. The transducer 464 is responsive to perturbations in the magnetic field caused by movement of a target. The bias current may be changed to cause a change in the output voltage at a known time in order to check the functionality of the package sensor by looking for a change in response of the output voltage. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the mold material 480 can be provided in the form of a hard ferromagnetic material, a soft ferromagnetic material, or even a non-conductive material. For example, in embodiments in which the material 480 is a soft ferromagnetic material, the magnetic field generated by the coil 433 can be focused or otherwise concentrated as desired by the soft ferromagnetic mold material 480. Alternatively, in embodiments in which the material 480 is a hard ferromagnetic material, the magnetic field provided by the coil can be used to modulate the magnetic field provided by the hard ferromagnetic material 480, in order to thereby reduce the peak current otherwise required to provide the same magnetic field strength with just the coil (i.e., if the hard ferromagnetic mold material 480 were not present).
Here again, since the back bias functionality is provided by the coil, the mold material 480 may be eliminated entirely (as is shown in
In applications including the mold material 480, such mold material may be tapered from a first end 480a proximate to the lead frame 470 to a second end 480b distal from the lead frame and the sensor may, optionally, include a third mold material 490 in the form of an overmold in order to protect and electrically insulate the device. In another embodiment a housing may be used as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,045,920 and 5,581,179, which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. In such an embodiment, the third mold material may be replaced by the housing which is pre-molded and the welded to the plastic package, for example. In other embodiments the pre-molded, or otherwise manufactured, housing may be used in place of the second mold material where only the first and second mold versions are used, in such an embodiment the coil is enclosed by the pre-molded housing.
Referring to
The sensor includes a coil 433′ that may the same as or similar to the coil 433 of
In operation, a bias current is applied to the coil 433′ which causes a bias magnetic field to be generated and the transducer 464 is responsive to perturbations in the magnetic field caused by movement of a proximate target. The bias current may be changed to cause a change in the output voltage at a known time in order to check the functionality of the package sensor by looking for a change in response of the output voltage. While the ferromagnetic mold material is eliminated in the sensor 400′ of
In another embodiment, the coil may be used to create a closed loop current sensor. In this embodiment the packaged magnetic field sensor and at least one coil inside the package (either on the die, in the package, or both), in any package form or style such as SIP, SOIC, QFN, or other package of interest, are connected externally to the package with a circuit. The user circuit applies a current to the coil inside the package (or on the die of the sensor) to maintain the output voltage of the sensor at a known voltage (or current for a current output device such as a “two-wire” part). This has the advantage of allowing higher current to be used in the coil, particularly for the case of the coils describe in
Having described exemplary embodiments of the invention, it will now become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating their concepts may also be used. The embodiments contained herein should not be limited to disclosed embodiments but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
