Design and Application of MEMS-Based Hall Sensor Array for Magnetic Field Mapping

Abstract

A magnetic field measurement system based on an array of Hall sensors is proposed. The sensors are fabricated using conventional microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques and consist of a P-type silicon substrate, a silicon dioxide isolation layer, a phosphide-doped cross-shaped detection zone, and gold signal leads. When placed within a magnetic field, the interaction between the local magnetic field produced by the working current and the external magnetic field generates a measurable Hall voltage from which the strength of the external magnetic field is then derived. Four Hall sensors are fabricated incorporating cross-shaped detection zones with an identical aspect ratio (2.625) but different sizes (S, M, L, and XL). For a given working current, the sensitivities and response times of the four devices are found to be almost the same. However, the offset voltage increases with the increasing size of the detection zone. A 3 × 3 array of sensors is assembled into a 3D-printed frame and used to determine the magnetic field distributions of a single magnet and a group of three magnets, respectively. The results show that the constructed 2D magnetic field contour maps accurately reproduce both the locations of the individual magnets and the distributions of the magnetic fields around them.

Manufacturing and characterization of CMOS-MEMS magnetic field microsensors with isolated cavities

“…The applications of magnetic field (MF) sensors are extensive and diverse, spanning various domains including automotive, biomedical, consumer electronics, industrial automation, environmental monitoring, and navigation systems [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. In the automotive industry, MF sensors play a crucial role, notably in anti-lock braking systems.…”

Manufacturing and Characterization of Three-Axis Magnetic Sensors Using the Standard 180 nm CMOS Technology

“…The location tracking system provided a magnetic field (MF) to a patient and employed the MS node to detect the organ location of the patient. Lee [2] utilized a 3 × 3 array of Hall MSs to construct an MF measurement system for MF mapping. The system could measure the MF distributions of a group of multi-magnets.…”