Figure 2. Typical application circuits

GND

A1244

VCC

V+

0.01 μF

ECU

GND

A1244

VCC

V+

0.01 μF

(A) Low side sensing

(B) High side sensing

Amp

Regulator

Clock/Logic

Hall Element

Low-Pass

Filter

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 sensor IC. 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

patented 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 base band, 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. The chopper stabilization technique uses a 350 kHz

high frequency clock. For demodulation process, a sample and

hold technique is used, where the sampling is performed at twice

the chopper frequency. This high-frequency operation allows

a greater sampling rate, which results in higher accuracy and

faster signal-processing capability. This approach desensitizes

the chip to the effects of thermal and mechanical stresses, and

produces devices that have extremely stable quiescent Hall out-

put 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.

Figure 3. Chopper stabilization circuit (Dynamic Quadrature Offset Cancellation)

Chopper-Stabilized, Two Wire

Hall-Effect Latch

A1244

8

Allegro MicroSystems, LLC

115 Northeast Cutoff

Worcester, Massachusetts 01615-0036 U.S.A.

1.508.853.5000; www.allegromicro.com