Sensor with magnetroesitive and/or thin film element abutting shorting bars and a method of manufacture thereof
A method of manufacture of a sensor, the method comprising, in a first fabrication facility, forming one or more components of the sensor on a substrate; and in a second fabrication facility depositing a sensor layer, such as a magnetoresistive sensor, onto the substrate or over the one or more components. Otherwise contaminating effects of depositing magnetoresistive materials can thus be confined to the second fabrication facility, permitting more advanced fabrication equipment and techniques to be employed in the first fabrication facility.
1. A magnetoresistive sensor comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of shorting bars; and
at least one magnetoresistive element formed over the substrate and the plurality of shorting bars, the at least one magnetoresistive element directly abutting and in electrical contact with the shorting bars,
wherein at least a portion of an insulating layer is disposed between at least one of the plurality of shorting bars and the substrate, and wherein the insulating layer electrically isolates the one of the plurality of shorting bars from all elements of the magnetoresistive sensor other than the at least one magnetoresistive element,
wherein the at least one of the plurality of shorting bars is defined by a shape of a trench within the insulating layer.
2. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one of the shorting bars are angled with respect to a magnetically easy axis of the at least one magnetoresistive element.
3. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a protective layer formed above the magnetoresistive element.
4. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shorting bars comprise tungsten.
5. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the magnetoresistive layer comprises Permalloy.
6. A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a sensor as claimed in claim 1 .
7. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of connectors in a connection layer and configured to interconnect the at least one magnetoresistive element and at least one other circuit element, the connection layer being disposed between the substrate and the at least one magnetoresistive element, and the insulating layer further comprising an insulator disposed adjacent the shorting bars so as to prevent at least one of the shorting bars from directly making electrical contact with the connectors.
8. The sensor as claimed in claim 7 , wherein another one of the shorting bars is configured to connect the at least one magnetoresistive sensor to a selected one or more of the connectors, the another one of the shorting bars comprising tungsten and extending through the insulating layer.
9. The sensor as claimed in claim 7 further comprising:
a coil; and
a second insulating layer configured to insulate the plurality of connectors from the coil.
10. The sensor as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a third insulating layer configured to insulate the coil from the substrate.
11. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating layer is a single layer.
12. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 further comprising vias on opposing sides of and extending laterally beyond the plurality of shorting bars, wherein the vias extend through the insulating layer and electrically connect the magnetoresistive element and conductors arranged to provide electrical connections between the magnetoresistive element and one or more other circuit elements.
13. An integrated circuit, comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of connectors for interconnecting circuit elements;
a thin film element;
an insulating layer between the connectors and the thin film element, where connections between the thin film element and selected ones of the connectors are made by vias extending though the insulating layer so as to connect the thin film element to other circuit components, the thin film element being positioned over the vias; and
a plurality of shorting bars inset in the insulating layer, wherein the plurality of shorting bars are directly abutting and in electrical contact with the thin film element,
wherein at least one of the plurality of shorting bars is defined by a shape of a trench within the insulating layer, and wherein the insulating layer isolates the at least one of the plurality of shorting bars from all elements of the integrated circuit other than the thin film element.
14. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 13 wherein the thin film element has magnetoresistive properties.
15. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 13 wherein the thin film element is a thin film resistor.
16. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 13 wherein the insulating layer is a single layer.
17. A magnetoresistive sensor comprising:
shorting bars;
vias including a first via and a second via, the first via being on a first side of the shorting bars and the second via on a second side of the shorting bars, the first and second sides opposing each other;
a plurality of connectors for interconnecting circuit elements;
a magnetoresistive element formed directly over the shorting bars and the vias; and
an insulating layer disposed between the shorting bars and a substrate, wherein the shorting bars are inset in the insulating layer and the insulating layer electrically isolates the shorting bars from all elements of the magnetoresistive sensor except for the magnetoresistive element, wherein the first via and the second via extend through the insulating layer so as to connect the magnetoresistive element to one or more other circuit elements by way of the plurality of connectors, and wherein the inset shorting bars and the first via comprise a same material.