A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process

Lin Zhou; Haonan Song; Chengxin Shen; Yue Xu

doi:10.1088/1674-4926/26040007

J. Semicond. > Just Accepted

ARTICLES

A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process

Lin Zhou^{1, 2}, Haonan Song^{1, 2}, Chengxin Shen^{1, 2} and Yue Xu^{1, 2,}

+ Author Affiliations

Corresponding author: Yue Xu, yuex@njupt.edu.cn

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007CSTR: 32376.14.1674-4926.26040007

Abstract: This paper presents a reconfigurable eight-contact Hall device fabricated in the 180 nm BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process, providing a cost-effective solution for high-precision and wideband magnetic/current sensing. The device structural design supports two distinct operating modes: static biasing and spinning-current dynamic biasing. For wideband sensing, the static mode utilizes intrinsic orthogonal symmetry to achieve effective static offset cancellation. In contrast, the dynamic mode employs the spinning-current technique to achieve a remarkably low residual offset for high-precision low-frequency detection. To enhance the absolute sensitivity (S_A) and ensure electrical matching across both modalities, doping profiles and junction depths are meticulously optimized. Experimental results demonstrate that the device in static mode achieves a high S_A of 283 mV/T at 1200 μA, representing an 89% improvement over existing X-Hall devices, with an initial offset standard deviation (σ) of only 0.216 mV. In the dynamic mode, the device yields a matched S_A of 281 mV/T and a remarkably low residual offset of 27 μV. Notably, the input resistance remains highly consistent across both modalities (3.14 and 3.32 kΩ). This reconfigurable architecture provides a robust device-level foundation for wideband sensing in demanding power electronic applications.

Keywords: Hall-effect device, low offset, absolute sensitivity (S_A), reconfigurable, wideband

References

[1]	Xin Z, Li H, Liu Q, et al. A review of megahertz current sensors for megahertz power converters. IEEE Trans Power Electron, 2022, 37(6): 6720 doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2021.3136871
[2]	Syeda S F, Crescentini M, Marchesi M, et al. A wideband and low-noise CMOS-integrated X-Hall current sensor operating in current mode. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas, 2023, 72: 2005211 doi: 10.1109/tim.2023.3284055
[3]	Hassan A, Mahar A, Shetty S, et al. A DC to 25 MHz current sensing interface for Hall-effect sensor. IEEE Sens J, 2024, 24(7): 10316 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2024.3360462
[4]	Wang H Y, Hu X, Liu Q F, et al. An on-chip high-speed current sensor applied in the current-mode DC-DC converter. IEEE Trans Power Electron, 2014, 29(9): 4479 doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2014.2302318
[5]	Salehi Vala S, Basit Mirza A, Luo F. An integrated TMR-based current sensing solution for WBG power modules and converters. IEEE Trans Compon Packag Manuf Technol, 2024, 14(12): 2220 doi: 10.1109/TCPMT.2024.3392483
[6]	Langmaack N, Tareilus G, Henke M. Novel highly integrated current measurement method for drive inverters. IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), 2016: 700
[7]	Fan H, Yue H C, Mao J M, et al. Modelling and fabrication of wide temperature range Al_0.24Ga_0.76As/GaAs Hall magnetic sensors. J Semicond, 2022, 43(3): 034101 doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/43/3/034101
[8]	Heidari H, Bonizzoni E, Gatti U, et al. A CMOS current-mode magnetic Hall sensor with integrated front-end. IEEE Trans Circuits Syst I Regul Pap, 2015, 62(5): 1270 doi: 10.1109/TCSI.2015.2415173
[9]	Crescentini M, Syeda S F, Gibiino G P. Hall-effect current sensors: Principles of operation and implementation techniques. IEEE Sens J, 2022, 22(11): 10137 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2021.3119766
[10]	Ajbl A, Pastre M, Kayal M. A fully integrated Hall sensor microsystem for contactless current measurement. IEEE Sens J, 2013, 13(6): 2271 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2013.2251971
[11]	Li Y, Motz M, Raghavan L. A fast T&H overcurrent detector for a spinning Hall current sensor with ping-pong and chopping techniques. IEEE J Solid State Circuits, 2019, 54(7): 1852 doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2019.2909161
[12]	Crescentini M, Marchesi M, Romani A, et al. A broadband, on-chip sensor based on Hall effect for current measurements in smart power circuits. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas, 2018, 67(6): 1470 doi: 10.1109/TIM.2018.2795248
[13]	Jiang J F, Makinwa K A A. Multipath wide-bandwidth CMOS magnetic sensors. IEEE J Solid State Circuits, 2017, 52(1): 198 doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2016.2619711
[14]	Jouyaeian A, Fan Q W, Ausserlechner U, et al. A hybrid magnetic current sensor with a dual differential DC servo loop. IEEE J Solid State Circuits, 2023, 58(12): 3442 doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2023.3307471
[15]	Crescentini M, Ramilli R, Gibiino G P, et al. The X-Hall sensor: Toward integrated broadband current sensing. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas, 2021, 70: 2002412
[16]	Gibiino G P, Marchesi M, Cogliati M, et al. Experimental evaluation of Hall-effect current sensors in BCD10 technology. Measurement, 2023, 220: 113289 doi: 10.1016/j.measurement.2023.113289
[17]	Zhou L, Li J Q, Li L, et al. A high-sensitivity and low-offset cross-like X-Hall device suitable for broadband magnetic sensors fabricated in 180-nm BCD technology. IEEE Trans Electron Devices, 2024, 71(9): 5652 doi: 10.1109/TED.2024.3423831
[18]	Zhou L, Shen C X, Xu Y. Sensitivity enhancement and offset reduction in the silicon cross-like Hall device via P-type implant and optimized layout orientation. IEEE Sens J, 2026, 26(6): 8134 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2026.3658818
[19]	Shu Z W, Jiang L, Hu X X, et al. An integrated front-end vertical hall magnetic sensor fabricated in 0.18 μm low-voltage CMOS technology. J Semicond, 2022, 43(3): 032402 doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/43/3/032402

Fig. 1. (Color online) Comparison of distinct current sensor chip architectures: (a) hybrid “Hall + Coil” multipath configuration, (b) single-channel TIA-based X-Hall topology.

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Fig. 2. (Color online) (a) Top-view and (b) cross-sectional diagrams of the proposed eight-contact Hall device.

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Fig. 3. (Color online) (a) Simulated absolute sensitivity (S_A) as a function of the junction depth, and (b) the doping profile of the active region (MVNWELL) in the proposed eight-contact Hall device.

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Fig. 4. (Color online) (a) Biasing configuration of the static mode and (b) TCAD-simulated current density distribution within the device.

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Fig. 5. (Color online) (a) Biasing configuration of the dynamic mode and (b) TCAD-simulated current density distribution within the device.

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Fig. 6. (Color online) Chip micrograph and experimental setup.

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Fig. 7. (Color online) Characterization of input resistance (R_IN). (a) Measured and simulated R_IN as a function of bias current for both bias modes. Statistical distribution of R_IN across 15 samples at 1200 μA for (b) static mode and (c) dynamic mode.

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Fig. 8. (Color online) Measured Hall output voltage (V_Hall) as a function of the B_⊥. (a) static mode; (b) dynamic mode.

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Fig. 9. (Color online) Measured and simulated S_I as a function of the I_BIAS. (a) static mode. (b) dynamic mode.

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Fig. 10. (Color online) Measured offset characteristics: (a) initial offset distribution for the dynamic mode, (b) residual offset of the dynamic mode as a function of the I_BIAS, and (c) offset distribution for the static mode.

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Fig. 11. (Color online) Schematic diagrams of the proposed wideband sensor architecture based on the proposed eight-contact Hall device.

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Fig. 12. (Color online) Simulated AC frequency response of the proposed wideband Hall sensing architecture.

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Table 1. Comparison with the state-of-the-art Hall-effect devices.

Work	Technology	Structure	S_I (V/AT)	S_A (mV/T)	σ (V_OS) (mV)	V_RES (μV)
Ref. [15]	160 nm BCD	Octagonal X-Hall	200	115	0.700	/
Ref. [16]	90 nm BCD	Octagonal X-Hall	260	195	0.557	/
Ref. [17]	180 nm BCD	Cross-like X-Hall	310	150	0.179	/
Static Mode	180 nm BCD	Eight-contact Hall	236	283	0.216	/
Dynamic Mode	180 nm BCD	Eight-contact Hall	234	281	2.977	27

DownLoad: CSV

[1]	Xin Z, Li H, Liu Q, et al. A review of megahertz current sensors for megahertz power converters. IEEE Trans Power Electron, 2022, 37(6): 6720 doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2021.3136871
[2]	Syeda S F, Crescentini M, Marchesi M, et al. A wideband and low-noise CMOS-integrated X-Hall current sensor operating in current mode. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas, 2023, 72: 2005211 doi: 10.1109/tim.2023.3284055
[3]	Hassan A, Mahar A, Shetty S, et al. A DC to 25 MHz current sensing interface for Hall-effect sensor. IEEE Sens J, 2024, 24(7): 10316 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2024.3360462
[4]	Wang H Y, Hu X, Liu Q F, et al. An on-chip high-speed current sensor applied in the current-mode DC-DC converter. IEEE Trans Power Electron, 2014, 29(9): 4479 doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2014.2302318
[5]	Salehi Vala S, Basit Mirza A, Luo F. An integrated TMR-based current sensing solution for WBG power modules and converters. IEEE Trans Compon Packag Manuf Technol, 2024, 14(12): 2220 doi: 10.1109/TCPMT.2024.3392483
[6]	Langmaack N, Tareilus G, Henke M. Novel highly integrated current measurement method for drive inverters. IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), 2016: 700
[7]	Fan H, Yue H C, Mao J M, et al. Modelling and fabrication of wide temperature range Al_0.24Ga_0.76As/GaAs Hall magnetic sensors. J Semicond, 2022, 43(3): 034101 doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/43/3/034101
[8]	Heidari H, Bonizzoni E, Gatti U, et al. A CMOS current-mode magnetic Hall sensor with integrated front-end. IEEE Trans Circuits Syst I Regul Pap, 2015, 62(5): 1270 doi: 10.1109/TCSI.2015.2415173
[9]	Crescentini M, Syeda S F, Gibiino G P. Hall-effect current sensors: Principles of operation and implementation techniques. IEEE Sens J, 2022, 22(11): 10137 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2021.3119766
[10]	Ajbl A, Pastre M, Kayal M. A fully integrated Hall sensor microsystem for contactless current measurement. IEEE Sens J, 2013, 13(6): 2271 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2013.2251971
[11]	Li Y, Motz M, Raghavan L. A fast T&H overcurrent detector for a spinning Hall current sensor with ping-pong and chopping techniques. IEEE J Solid State Circuits, 2019, 54(7): 1852 doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2019.2909161
[12]	Crescentini M, Marchesi M, Romani A, et al. A broadband, on-chip sensor based on Hall effect for current measurements in smart power circuits. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas, 2018, 67(6): 1470 doi: 10.1109/TIM.2018.2795248
[13]	Jiang J F, Makinwa K A A. Multipath wide-bandwidth CMOS magnetic sensors. IEEE J Solid State Circuits, 2017, 52(1): 198 doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2016.2619711
[14]	Jouyaeian A, Fan Q W, Ausserlechner U, et al. A hybrid magnetic current sensor with a dual differential DC servo loop. IEEE J Solid State Circuits, 2023, 58(12): 3442 doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2023.3307471
[15]	Crescentini M, Ramilli R, Gibiino G P, et al. The X-Hall sensor: Toward integrated broadband current sensing. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas, 2021, 70: 2002412
[16]	Gibiino G P, Marchesi M, Cogliati M, et al. Experimental evaluation of Hall-effect current sensors in BCD10 technology. Measurement, 2023, 220: 113289 doi: 10.1016/j.measurement.2023.113289
[17]	Zhou L, Li J Q, Li L, et al. A high-sensitivity and low-offset cross-like X-Hall device suitable for broadband magnetic sensors fabricated in 180-nm BCD technology. IEEE Trans Electron Devices, 2024, 71(9): 5652 doi: 10.1109/TED.2024.3423831
[18]	Zhou L, Shen C X, Xu Y. Sensitivity enhancement and offset reduction in the silicon cross-like Hall device via P-type implant and optimized layout orientation. IEEE Sens J, 2026, 26(6): 8134 doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2026.3658818
[19]	Shu Z W, Jiang L, Hu X X, et al. An integrated front-end vertical hall magnetic sensor fabricated in 0.18 μm low-voltage CMOS technology. J Semicond, 2022, 43(3): 032402 doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/43/3/032402

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Received: 07 March 2025 Revised: 07 April 2026 Online: Accepted Manuscript: 09 June 2026

Article Navigation > Journal of Semiconductors > 2026 > Accepted Manuscript

Lin Zhou, Haonan Song, Chengxin Shen, Yue Xu. A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2026, In Press. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007 ****L Zhou, H N Song, C X Shen, and Y Xu, A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007

Citation:

Lin Zhou, Haonan Song, Chengxin Shen, Yue Xu. A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2026, In Press. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007 ****

L Zhou, H N Song, C X Shen, and Y Xu, A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007

Citation:

L Zhou, H N Song, C X Shen, and Y Xu, A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007

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A reconfigurable low-offset eight-contact Hall device in 180 nm BCD process

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/26040007

CSTR: 32376.14.1674-4926.26040007

Lin Zhou^{1, 2},
Haonan Song^{1, 2},
Chengxin Shen^{1, 2},
Yue Xu^{1, 2,}

1.
College of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
2.
National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of RF Integration & Micro-Assembly Technology, Nanjing 210023, China

More Information

Lin Zhou received a B.S. degree in electronic science and technology from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China, in 2022, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree. His research interests are in CMOS devices and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, including Hall devices and Hall sensor signal conditioning circuits
Yue Xu received a PhD degree in microelectronics and solid-state electronics from Nanjing University, China, in 2012. He is currently a professor at the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China. His main research interests include the CMOS detector, analog-integrated circuit design, and device reliability
Corresponding author: yuex@njupt.edu.cn
Received Date: 2025-03-07
Revised Date: 2026-04-07

Available Online: 2026-06-09

Abstract

Abstract

This paper presents a reconfigurable eight-contact Hall device fabricated in the 180 nm BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process, providing a cost-effective solution for high-precision and wideband magnetic/current sensing. The device structural design supports two distinct operating modes: static biasing and spinning-current dynamic biasing. For wideband sensing, the static mode utilizes intrinsic orthogonal symmetry to achieve effective static offset cancellation. In contrast, the dynamic mode employs the spinning-current technique to achieve a remarkably low residual offset for high-precision low-frequency detection. To enhance the absolute sensitivity (S_A) and ensure electrical matching across both modalities, doping profiles and junction depths are meticulously optimized. Experimental results demonstrate that the device in static mode achieves a high S_A of 283 mV/T at 1200 μA, representing an 89% improvement over existing X-Hall devices, with an initial offset standard deviation (σ) of only 0.216 mV. In the dynamic mode, the device yields a matched S_A of 281 mV/T and a remarkably low residual offset of 27 μV. Notably, the input resistance remains highly consistent across both modalities (3.14 and 3.32 kΩ). This reconfigurable architecture provides a robust device-level foundation for wideband sensing in demanding power electronic applications.
- Hall-effect device,
- low offset,
- absolute sensitivity (S_A),
- reconfigurable,
- wideband

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References(19)