Ultrasensitive Two-Wire Chopper-Stabilized
Unipolar Hall Effect Switches
A1145 and
A1146
7
Allegro MicroSystems, Inc.
115 Northeast Cutoff
Worcester, Massachusetts 01615-0036 U.S.A.
1.508.853.5000; www.allegromicro.com
Chopper Stabilization Technique
When using Hall-effect technology, a limiting factor for
switchpoint accuracy is the small signal voltage developed
across the Hall element. This voltage is disproportionally small
relative to the offset that can be produced at the output of the
Hall element. This makes it difficult to process the signal while
maintaining an accurate, reliable output over the specified oper-
ating temperature and voltage ranges.
Chopper stabilization is a unique approach used to minimize
Hall offset on the chip. The Allegro technique, namely Dynamic
Quadrature Offset Cancellation, removes key sources of the
output drift induced by thermal and mechanical stresses. This
offset reduction technique is based on a signal modulation-
demodulation process. The undesired offset signal is separated
from the magnetic field-induced signal in the frequency domain,
through modulation. The subsequent demodulation acts as a
modulation process for the offset, causing the magnetic field-
induced signal to recover its original spectrum at baseband, while
the DC offset becomes a high-frequency signal. The magnetic-
sourced signal then can pass through a low-pass filter, while
the modulated DC offset is suppressed. This configuration is
illustrated in figure 2.
The chopper stabilization technique uses a 200 kHz high
frequency clock. For demodulation process, a sample and hold
technique is used, where the sampling is performed at twice the
chopper frequency (400 kHz). This high-frequency operation
allows a greater sampling rate, which results in higher accuracy
and faster signal-processing capability. This approach desensi-
tizes the chip to the effects of thermal and mechanical stresses,
and produces devices that have extremely stable quiescent Hall
output voltages and precise recoverability after temperature
cycling. This technique is made possible through the use of a
BiCMOS process, which allows the use of low-offset, low-noise
amplifiers in combination with high-density logic integration
and sample-and-hold circuits.
The repeatability of magnetic field-induced switching is affected
slightly by a chopper technique. However, the Allegro high-
frequency chopping approach minimizes the affect of jitter and
makes it imperceptible in most applications. Applications that
are more likely to be sensitive to such degradation are those
requiring precise sensing of alternating magnetic fields; for
example, speed sensing of ring-magnet targets. For such applica-
tions, Allegro recommends its digital device families with lower
sensitivity to jitter. For more information on those devices,
contact your Allegro sales representative.
Figure 2. Chopper stabilization circuit (Dynamic Quadrature Offset Cancellation)
Amp
Regulator
Clock/Logic
Hall Element
Sample and
Hold
Low-Pass
Filter
