Design and Simulation of Novel Low-Voltage CMOS Vertical Hall Devices with Capacitively Coupled Measuring Contacts

In this article, we introduce the novel concept of capacitively coupled measuring contacts (CCMCs) for microscaled vertical Hall sensors. Using dedicated numerical simulations, we show how this concept results in shaping and consequent focusing of the Hall potential into the measuring contacts and, in addition, strongly reduces the parasitic short-circuit current flowing into the measuring contacts. We use these effects purposefully for the design of novel low-voltage CMOS vertical Hall sensors with high magnetic sensitivity. The shallow well along with the CCMCs confines the sensor response to a small active region, which shows potential for a wide range of applications.