Performance Optimization of FD-SOI Hall Sensors Via 3D TCAD Simulations

Sensors (Basel). 2020 May 12;20(10):2751. doi: 10.3390/s20102751.

Abstract

This work investigates the behavior of fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) Hall sensors with an emphasis on their physical parameters, namely the aspect ratio, doping concentration, and thicknesses. Via 3D-technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulations with a galvanomagnetic transport model, the performances of the Hall voltage, sensitivity, efficiency, offset voltage, and temperature characteristics are evaluated. The optimal structure of the sensor in the simulation has a sensitivity of 86.5 mV/T and an efficiency of 218.9 V/WT at the bias voltage of 5 V. In addition, the effects of bias, such as the gate voltage and substrate voltage, on performance are also simulated and analyzed. Optimal structure and bias design rules are proposed, as are some adjustable trade-offs that can be chosen by designers to meet their own Hall sensor requirements.

Keywords: 3D simulations; FD-SOI CMOS; Hall sensors; design rules; optimization design.