INVESTIGATION OF SILICON CARBIDE BASED HALL

SENSOR
Student: Tan Lay Im Supervisor: Dr. Rusli
School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
e-mail: layim@pmail.ntu.edu.sg
erusli@ntu.edu.sg

Keywords: Hall effect, Hall sensor, Silicon Carbide, High

temperature device.

Abstract
Semiconductor Hall effect sensors are magnetic sensors that
allow the accurate measurement of magnetic field and its
direction. The Hall effect is related to the magnetic force that
acts on a charged particle moving in a region of magnetic
field. Hall effect sensors provide superior reliability when
compared to mechanical devices. For example, temperature
and pressure can be sensed through the expansion and
contraction of a bellow to which a magnet is attached, and the
change in the magnetic field can be measured using a Hall
sensor. This eliminates the cost of the associated hardware
and tubing, as Hall sensors do not require physical contacts.
Consequently, lesser maintenance is needed. Most of the
existing electronic components including Hall sensors are
limited to operating temperatures below 200oC due to the
limitation of narrow energy bandgap of materials used.
Silicon carbide (SiC) with its excellent electrical
characteristics that include wide bandgap (3eV), high
breakdown electric field strength (4x106V/cm), high thermal
conductivity (5 W/cm-oC), high saturated electron drift
velocity (2.0 x 107cm/sec) and low intrinsic carrier
concentration has long been viewed as a potentially useful
semiconductor material for high temperature, high power and
high frequency applications. Technological advancement
achieved in the recent years has made it possible to grow high
quality single crystal SiC and hence realize solid-state
electronic devices operating beyond 500oC [4]. SiC based
Hall sensor therefore could offer a breakthrough over
conventional Hall sensor based on GaAs, InAs and InSb. In
this work, we will review the latest development in Hall
sensors, compare the performance of SiC based hall sensors
relative to other commercially available products and identify
the areas of application where SiC Hall sensors might have a
competitive edge.
1 Introduction
Hall sensors based on GaAs, InAs and InSb have been widely
used in sensing magnetic field. Among them, InAs and InSb
based Hall sensors are the most commonly used as they have
extremely high electron mobility (greater than 33000 cm2/Vs)
thus giving high frequency response. However, these
materials have narrow energy bandgaps (less than 0.33eV),
which lead to low operating temperature. In terms of
operating temperature, GaAs has an advantage over InAs and
InSb as it has a wider energy bandgap of 1.43eV, which
allows it to operate at temperature up to 200oC. In view of the
demand of semiconductor devices to operate at temperature
beyond 200oC, which is the maximum allowable temperature
for conventional semiconductors, SiC has been actively
researched as it is able to operate up to 800oC due to its wide
bandgap of more than 3eV. Hall sensor is a device that
commonly requires high temperature operation, for example,
to be used in sensing machines in aerospace vehicles. As
such, it is important that we explore the use of SiC as the
semiconductor for the fabrication of Hall sensors.
2 Objectives
The objective of this project is to gather information on the
latest development in Hall sensors; to assess the performance
of SiC based Hall sensors relative to other commercially
available products and to identify the areas of application
where SiC Hall sensors might have a competitive edge. As
part of the project, commercially available hall sensors will
be purchased to carry out a detailed investigation of their
characteristics and performance. Through this, we hope to
achieve a better understanding and appreciation of Hall
sensors and their operations.
3 Hall effect The proportional constant, KH, given above measures the
sensitivity of Hall sensors.
Hall effect was discovered by American physicist Edwin Hall
in 1879. The effect is related to the force that acts on a
charged particle moving in a region of magnetic field. In 4 Silicon Carbide
general, the magnetic force can be expressed as
a. Properties of SiC
F=qvxB (1)
Silicon carbide semiconductor has a wide bandgap, high
where q is the charge of the particle, v the particle velocity, B
breakdown electric field strength, high thermal conductivity
the magnetic flux density, and v x B the vector cross product
and high saturated electron drift velocity compared to silicon
that gives the direction of the force F acting on the particle.
and GaAs, as shown in Table 4.1. Its high electron saturation
Assume a current of holes (I) is established through a p-type
velocity that is at least a factor of two better than Si and GaAs
semiconductor bar as shown in Figure 3.1:
permits SiC to operate at high frequencies (RF and
B x microwave). It is also suitable, for instance, for components
z
that have to be operated at extremely high temperatures
y greater than 600°C due to its wide bandgap and with
VH
+
w extremely low leakage current. The excellent thermal
- p-type conductivity of SiC is also a vital parameter in this context.
t [4]
l
Mobility (cm2/V-s) Thermal Bandgap Breakdown Saturated Electron
Materials Conductivity Voltage Drift Velocity
(eV)
I Electrons Holes
Vo (W/cm-oC) (V/cm) (cm/sec)
6H-SiC 600 40 5 3 4x106 2.0 x 107
4H-SiC 800 40 5 3.26 4x106 2.0 x 107
Figure 3.1: Geometry for measuring Hall Effect
3C-SiC 1000 40 5 2.3 4x106 2.0 x 107
The holes will flow through the semiconductor bar in the y- Si 1500 600 1.5 1.12 2.5 x 105 1.0 x 107
3 x 105 1.0 x 107
direction without any deviation in their paths. A voltage GaAs 8500 400 0.5 1.43
InAs 33000 460 0.20 0.33 4x104 3.5 x 107
given by
InSb 78000 750 0.17 0.16 1 x 103 5.0 x 107

VH = -Exw (2) Table 4.1: Properties of SiC and other semiconductors

where w is the width of the semiconductor bar, can be
measured between the opposite sides of the bar as indicated
in Figure 3.1. This voltage is referred to as the Hall voltage,
while the corresponding field (–Ex) is referred to as the Hall
field, EH. The carrier drift velocity is given by
vd = µE = I / qpwt (3)
Equating the magnetic and electric forces, we obtain for the
Hall field,
q EH = q vd B
EH = vd B (4)
Substituting Equations (3) and (4) into Equation (2):
VH = w EH = I B / qpt
From the above, we noted that the Hall voltage is
proportional to the current flow and the magnetic flux. The
proportional constant, KH , is given by
KH = VH / IB = 1 / qpt (5)
If the current density is maintained constant, we are able to
determine the magnitude and polarity of the magnetic flux by
measuring the Hall voltage. This differential voltage is
proportional to the magnetic field perpendicular to the slab. It
also changes sign when the polarity of the magnetic field
changes. Therefore, Hall effects allow the semiconductor to
be used as a magnetic sensor, also known as Hall sensors.
In many device applications, SiC's exceptionally high
breakdown field (>10 times that of GaAs), wide band gap
energy (>2 times that of GaAs), high carrier saturation
velocity (>2 times that of GaAs), and high thermal
conductivity (>10 times that of GaAs) could lead to
substantial performance gains, in spite of the low carrier
mobility disadvantages.
b. SiC Fabrication Technology
i. Crystal Growth
Of the numerous polytypic forms of silicon carbide, 4H-SiC
and 6H-SiC electronic devices are the most promising due to
the availability and quality of reproducible single-crystal
wafers in these polytypes. 4H-SiC's substantially higher
carrier mobility compared to 6H-SiC should make it the
polytype of choice for most SiC electronic devices. If on-
going work ever solves the crystallographic defect problems
associated with the heteroepitaxial growth of 3C-SiC on
large-area silicon substrates, foundry compatibility and
economic advantages would conceivably push 3C-SiC to the
forefront. [2]
ii. Epitaxial Growth
To improve the quality of bulk material and produce
complicated device structures, epitaxial techniques are
necessary. Chemical vapor deposition is presently the most
widely used epitaxial technique for growth of SiC device
structures. Homoepitaxial CVD growth has been reported for
6H, 4H, and 3C polytypes of SiC, while heteroepitaxy of 3C-
SiC has been reported. Various types of semiconductor
devices have been fabricated using CVD-grown SiC
structures, including high-voltage Schottky and pn-diodes,
light-emitting diodes and transistors. Growth temperatures for
typical SiC CVD processes range from 1200 to 1800oC, while
growth pressures vary from 100 to 760 Torr. [12]
c. Applications and Benefits of using SiC
The material's potential for component production within a
number of concrete applications are:
• Semiconductors for high outputs (converters, power
transformers, over-voltage protection)
• High frequency components for telecommunications (e.g.
next-generation mobile telephony) and radar
• High frequency power supplies
• High temperature devices (jet engine sensors, actuators and
control electronics, spacecraft power conditioning
electronics and sensors, automotive engine sensors,
distributorless electronic ignitions)
• Analogue and digital technologies for high temperatures
• Sensors (chemical sensors and pressure sensors)
• Optical detectors (UV and X-ray radiation, full-color
photographic slide scanners, blood-oxygen analysis)
• III-V Nitride deposition (blue LEDs, blue laser diodes,
MESFETs, HEMTs, green LEDs, UV Emitters)
Furthermore, SiC electronic devices have also been shown to
be less susceptible to radiation damage than correspondingly
rated silicon devices. Therefore, SiC electronics could also
reduce the size and weight of shielding normally used to
protect spacecraft electronic components from space
radiation.
5 Hall sensor and its performance
a. Hall Sensor
Today, Hall effect devices are part of many products, ranging
from computers, automobiles to aircraft, and machine tools to
medical equipment. There are mainly two types of Hall
sensors: analogue and discrete GaAs, InAs, InSb based Hall
sensors. Hall sensor can be used to measure many physical
parameters by inducing motion of a magnet. It also eliminates
the cost of the associated hardware and tubing, as it is a
sensor that does not require physical contacts. It thus provides
superior reliability when compared to a mechanical device.
Consequently, lesser maintenance is needed.
As the Hall voltage VH is generally very small, additional
electronics circuitry for voltage amplification is required. To
ensure a stable operation, temperature compensation
electronics are commonly incorporated. When operating from
an unregulated power supply, voltage regulation is also
needed. Figure 5.1 illustrates a basic Hall effect sensor. [5]
Figure 5.1: Basic Hall effect sensor
If the voltage at each output terminal is measured with respect
to ground, a non-zero voltage will appear (see Figure 3.1).
This is the common mode voltage (CMV) that appears at each
output terminal. The differential amplifier shown in Figure
5.1 is to amplify only the potential difference between the
two output terminals of the Hall element. The Hall voltage is
a low-level signal typically in the order of 30 microvolts in
the presence of one gauss of magnetic flux density. This low-
level output requires an amplifier with low noise, high input
impedance and moderate gain.
The sensed magnetic field can be of two different polarities
and as a result, the output of the amplifier can be driven either
positive or negative, which thus requires both plus and minus
power supplies. To avoid the requirement for two power
supplies, a fixed offset or bias is introduced into the
differential amplifier. The bias value appears at the output
when no magnetic field is present and is referred to as the
null voltage. When a positive magnetic field is sensed, the
output increases above the null voltage. Conversely, when a
negative magnetic field is sensed, the output decreases below
the null voltage, but remains positive. This concept is
illustrated in Figure 5.2. [5]
Saturation
Null voltage
Output Voltage
(volts)
Saturation
North Pole Input – Magnetic Field (Gauss) South Pole
Figure 5.2: Null voltage concept
It is important to note that the amplifier will begin to saturate
before the Hall element. Thus, large magnetic fields will not
damage the Hall effect sensors, but rather drive the overall
output into saturation.
To further increase the interface flexibility of the device,
additional circuit such as an open emitter, open collector, or
push-pull transistor is added to the output of the differential
amplifier. These features allow users to configure their circuit
design using Hall effect sensor more easily with readily built-
in interface components. For example, a user is able to
connect the output of the Hall sensor to devices such as a
buzzer, a LED, an encoder etc directly without worrying
about the driving current from the Hall sensor, so long as it is
within the specification of the transistor.
 F ig u re 5 .4 : T ra n s fe r C h a ra c te ris tic s o f H a ll E ffe c t IC S w itc h
b. Hall sensor materials requirements
15
In general, performances of Hall sensors are measured in
12

O u tp u t v o lt a g e
terms of frequency response, sensitivity, temperature
stability, sensor’s reliability and repeatability as well as its 9
durability.
6
From Equation (3), we know that semiconductors with high
mobility (normally n-type semiconductors) are preferred in 3
order to have a good frequency response. From Equation (5), 0.037

it can be seen that to have a high sensitivity Hall sensor, the 0

53 100 200 300 400 500 600
semiconductor used has to be thin and low doped. M a g n e tic flu x d e n s ity (G a u s s )

In practice, to measure weak magnetic fields at low

temperatures Hall sensors made of materials with high
mobility and small energy bandgap such as InSb and InAs are
used. This is because narrow bandgap materials have higher
frequency response than wide bandgap materials but have a
drawback of low operating temperature. For measurements at
high temperatures, materials with large bandgap have to be
used, as they remain extrinsic at high temperatures and
therefore ensure sensor accuracy. At present only GaAs with
a bandgap of 1.43eV is being used at operating temperature
not greater than 200oC. SiC has certain main advantage over
these materials, as shown in Table 4.1. The bandgap of 4H-
SiC is 3.26eV and its high thermal conductivity of 5 W/cm-
o
C have allowed it to operate in extremely high temperature
environment. Recent study on SiC based Hall sensor has
shown that it has a large sensitivity, a low thermal drift and a
good linearity versus magnetic field and bias current [14].
However, the drawback of SiC is its lower mobility (less than
1000cm2/V-s).
c. Study of Commercially Available Hall Sensor
Two types of commercial Hall sensors were purchased from
RS Components, digital and analogue output transfer
characteristics. The sensors were characterized using the
facilities in the Engineering Materials Laboratory and the
equipment used were source and measurement unit,
electromagnetic generator, gaussmeter, multimeter, hot plate
heater and a holding device for Hall sensor positioning.
The data obtained from the experiment is in compliance with
the manufacturer datasheet. The main application of this Hall
sensor is in logic circuits where ‘bounce free’ switching is
necessary when influenced by a magnetic field. The
hysteresis characteristic provides for unambiguous or non-
oscillatory switching. It is magnetically unidirectional and
capable of handling unlimited magnetic flux. However, the
drawback of this device is that it is temperature sensitive as
the switching point varies with temperature.
ii. Analogue Type Hall Sensor or Transducer
(RS stock no: 178-5673)
This Hall sensor provides temperature stability. The laser
trimmed thick film resistors on the ceramic substrate, and the
thin film resistors on the integrated circuit reduced null and
gain shifts against temperature and provide consistent
sensitivity from one device to another. The output voltage at
0 Gauss is typically 4V. It has a linear output characteristic in
the magnetic flux density range of ±100 Gauss.
Experiment data has been collected under room temperature
and 80oC (see Figure 5.5). The Hall voltages measured under
these two different temperatures are close to each other and
hence only the room temperature data is presented. This
shows that the device is stable within these temperatures and
it has a linear output within ±100 Gauss:

i. Discrete type Hall Sensor or Hall Effect IC Switch Figure 5.5: Hall Voltage vs Magnetic Flux
(RS stock no: 307-446) Hall Voltage (Volt)
10

6
Hall Voltage (Volt)
5
at Room Temperature
Figure 5.3: Schematic Diagram of Hall Effect IC Switch 4

The transfer characteristics at room temperature of the sensor - 400 - 300 - 200 - 100 0 100 200 300 400
exhibit hysteresis, as shown in Figure 5.4: Magnetic Flux (Gauss)
Noticed that when magnetic flux is beyond ±100 Gauss, the
Hall voltage measured remains constant (no longer
proportional to the magnetic flux) due to the saturation at the
output of the build-in amplifier. We observed a null voltage
of 5 volts at zero Gauss, which is close to the specification.
Figure 5.6 plots the experiment data measured, showing that
the sensitivity is uniform with respect to changes in the
magnetic flux between ±100 Gauss, in compliance with the
specification of the device. The sensitivity is deteriorated
when the magnetic flux is beyond ±100 Gauss, as the device
is not meant to handle magnetic flux beyond this value.
Figure 5.6: Sensitivity vs Magnetic Flux
Se nsitivity (V/A.T) x 10 4
10
8
Sensitivity (KH )
6 at Room Temperature
4
2
- 0.03 - 0.02 - 0.01 0 0.01 0.02 0.03
Magnetic Flux (Tesla)
Some precautions were taken during the experiment. Firstly,
Hall voltage that was measured directly from the device
includes a null voltage offset of 5.2 volts. Therefore, when
sensitivity was calculated based on the equation above, the
offset voltage has to be excluded. Secondly, the
electromagnetic generator being used is meant for generating
large magnetic flux. Therefore, some difficulties were faced
when switching the polarity of the magnetic flux as the
residual flux was remained in the generator. Likewise zeroing
of the electromagnetic generator is crucial for correct
measurement.
6 Practical applications of Hall sensors
Hall sensors are widely used to measure the magnetic
induction and for highly accurate gear-tooth sensing,
direction detection, linear sensing, speed sensing, position
sensing, pressure sensing, potentiometers, brushless dc motor
commutators and contactless switching. It is also often being
used to measure current through the associated magnetic field
generated. It is especially useful when the current to be
measured is extremely large where ammeter or other means
of mechanical devices are not practical. Due to the small size
of the device, it is also possible to measure the distribution of
the current in space (for instance in electrolytic baths). Hall
sensors are frequently called upon to perform in very adverse
environments. It is well known that they are robust to various
contaminants and mechanical shock.
Microwave power measurement by means of Hall sensors
needs neither a magnet, nor a battery to create the bias field.
The electromagnetic wave whose power is to be measured
serves as the source of both: the bias and the magnetic fields.
In comparison with other devices for measuring microwave
power, the Hall sensors have two great advantages. The Hall
voltage can be used to indicate the direction of the
propagation of the wave. When the direction of the wave
propagation reverses, the sign of the Hall voltage changes
too. In addition, Hall voltage is sensitive to the phase
difference between the electric and magnetic field in the
electromagnetic wave.
One of the potential areas of applications is in aerospace
vehicles that are subject to very high temperatures during
flight. Silicon carbide based Hall sensors that could function
in hot areas of the aircraft within uncooled operation of 300 –
600oC would save weight (no additional cooling devices
needed) and increase reliability (sensed directly, no additional
wires and connectors) by replacing conventional Hall sensors
and thus increased engine performance. [2]
7 Conclusions
In this study, the Hall effect phenomenon and the properties
of SiC and other conventional semiconductor materials used
for Hall sensors fabrication were studied. Besides,
commercial Hall sensors were purchased and experiments
were carried out to enhance the appreciation of the working
principles of Hall sensors. The properties of semiconductors
that are critical to their performance as a Hall sensor were
also explored. To develop a semiconductor based Hall sensor,
some basic criteria need to be fulfilled. For instance, the
material should have reasonably high carrier mobility
(normally n-type semiconductor) and high carrier drift
velocity. Since higher carrier concentration will lead to a
lower mobility, therefore lightly doped n-type semiconductor
is preferred. In addition, the sensitivity of Hall sensor
increases with lightly doped and physically thin samples.
These are also important factors to be considered in the
fabrication of Hall sensors.
In view of SiC, though its mobility is lower than those of
conventional Hall sensor semiconductors, however, its
outstanding wide bandgap and high thermal conductivity
allow it to safely operate at high temperatures beyond 500oC
environment. This is an important feature in semiconductor
materials as conventional semiconductor operating
temperature is not greater than 200oC. Developing Hall
sensor based on SiC will propel Hall sensors into a new era
that allows measurement of magnetic flux at high
temperatures, such as in sensing machines in aerospace
vehicles.
8 Future work
It is planned that Hall sensors based on SiC will be designed,
fabricated and characterized. As low doped 4H-SiC n type
samples are available in the SiC research group, it is therefore
possible for us to study the performance of SiC based Hall
sensors. Besides all the facilities required for its fabrication
are also readily available in the clean room.

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