Micronas and Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits to engage in cooperation in the development of 3-D Hall sensors (0421)

Freiburg, 09 November 2004 - Micronas (SWX Swiss Exchange: MASN, Frankfurt: MNSN, Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS are to engage in a long-term partnership with the aim of further refining the 3-D Hall sensors developed at the Fraunhofer IIS to the point where they are ready for marketing.

Hall sensors are magnetic near-range sensors. Their contactless measuring principle makes them extremely robust against mechanical wear and harsh environmental conditions, such as dirt, vibrations and large-scale temperature fluctuations. Hall sensors thus replace electromechanical potentiometers in many cases.

Hall sensors are used for a large number of simple position measurements as well as for angular measurements, rotational speed measurements and electric current measurements. The Micronas Hall sensors are being optimized especially for automotive applications.

The applications to date, however, have been subject to restrictions in that only sensors with a sensitivity perpendicular to the chip surface can be produced at low cost on standard CMOS technologies.

The Fraunhofer IIS, however, has developed and patented Hall sensors which are also sensitive to magnetic fields parallel to the chip surface without requiring any additional technology steps. This means that the entire components of a magnetic field can practically be measured at a single point, thus paving the way to a large number of innovative solutions in positional sensor technology with Hall elements.

"Micronas already offers a broad range of products with Hall sensors for vertical magnetic fields, and the new 3-D sensors will extend this range", say Josef Sauerer, Head of the Analog IC Development Department at the Fraunhofer IIS and Klaus Heberle, Vice President Automotive at Micronas GmbH. "We are firmly convinced that we have established a strong partnership today, which will ensure that this new technology can rapidly be established on the market."

Micronas is regarded as the pioneer on the Hall sensor market, being the first company worldwide to introduce fully-programmable Hall sensors. Micronas was able to integrate a Hall plate, digital signal processing and an EEPROM on a single chip, produced in pure CMOS technology. Together with a patented process for offset compensation, these sensors attain an accuracy many times higher than their bipolar predecessors. Their programmability allows individual adjustment to the application in question and to the sensor's environment. This obviates the need for elaborate mechanical adjustments within the system.

Background Information
Hall sensors are semiconductor components which do not contain any moveable parts. They are based on the Hall effect discovered by Edwin Hall in 1879. A Hall element, such as a square semiconductor layer, has a constant current flowing through it. If a magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the direction of the electric current, it will deflect the charge carriers on account of the Lorentz force. The deflection can be measured via the so-called Hall voltage, which is perpendicular to both the magnetic field and the current flow. The Hall voltage is directly proportional to the magnetic field.

About Fraunhofer IIS
Founded in 1985, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS with its headquarters in Erlangen and additional locations in Nuremberg, Fürth and Dresden, Germany, is now the biggest of the Fraunhofer Institutes. Fraunhofer IIS became known throughout the world when it developed the MP3 audio coding method.

Working in close cooperation with our clients from the industry, our scientists provide research and development services in the following areas: digital radio broadcasting systems, audio and multimedia technology, cinema technology, design automation, integrated circuits and sensor systems, wired, wireless and optical networks, localisation and navigation, high-speed camera systems, imaging systems and nanofocus X-ray technology, medical sensor solutions, and information and communications technology for transport and logistics. One of the main areas of research at the Fraunhofer IIS is intelligent sensor systems based on standard CMOS semiconductor technologies.

A total of 450 employees undertake contract research for industry, service-sector companies and public utilities. Apart from a basic funding of 20%, the Institute's budget of EUR 50 million is financed entirely by its contract research.