Novel Vertical Hall Elements for High Functional Linear Angular Sensor

We have developed a high-precision linear Hall sensor, which can detect absolute angles from 0 to 360°. In this sensor, novel vertical Hall elements have been used that can be fabricated using CMOS process technology, and the signal processing circuit is incorporated on the same chip. Using two vertical Hall elements placed precisely at an angle of 90° in the center of the chip, two-dimensional magnetic signals are detected. These signals are converted to an absolute angle by calculating the arc tangent of two Hall voltages. Moreover, this process compensates for the temperature dependence of these signals. Such a novel integrated vertical Hall sensor is promising for a wide range of applications.