MagnaChip to Offer Planar-Type Hall-effect Sensors Suitable for Mobile, IoT and Automotive Applications

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (“MagnaChip”) (NYSE: MX), a designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products, announced today that it now offers planar-type Hall-effect sensors for foundry customers.

The Hall-effect sensor has been adopted by the market for an increasing number of applications, such as smartphone cameras for the closed-loop auto focus feature and for the auto iris function, etc. Since 2014, MagnaChip has been mass-producing Hall switches and electrical compasses using the planar-type Hall-effect sensor. The Hall-effect sensor was suitable for high sensitivity and low-corner frequency, and features 50x50um2 in size. The initial products were characterized by Hall resistance of 2.4K ohms, sensitivity of 44.5mV/VT and a corner frequency of 500Hz. Most of all, it was recognized for its robustness and stability against noise. With outstanding features, the initial products were well adopted in the market and this in turn prompted MagnaChip to provide the planar-type Hall-effect sensors to its existing and potential foundry customers.

The key benefit of MagnaChip’s Hall-effect sensor is that it can be easily integrated into a customer’s design by adding only one mask to various processes that the foundry already offers. In addition, the integration of the Hall-effect sensors can be made without making any changes in electrical characteristics and it is offered regardless of the technology node, ranging from 0.13um to 0.35um. The process design kit (PDK) provides P-cell and Verilog-A model, with availability to a temperature of up to 150ºC to ensure a wider use in diverse applications, such as the fast growing IoT and automotive markets.

Furthermore, MagnaChip is developing a vertical Hall-effect sensor with the direction of the magnetic field being parallel to the silicon surface, which enables3 dimensional Hall sensing capabilities. A vertical Hall-effect sensor can also be used in a wide range of applications, including proximity switching, positioning, speed detection and current sensing applications. MagnaChip anticipates that it will develop a variety of Hall-effect sensors to meet the growing needs of its global foundry customers.