Multi-physics based system simulations for magnetic sensors

Today's magnetic sensor applications demand a detailed understanding of all relevant system components. This work presents a holistic simulation methodology to account for the close interaction between ferromagnetic target objects, magnetic circuit designs and specific sensor characteristics of relevant Hall and xMR technologies.The core element of this simulation approach is a proprietary developed finite element/boundary element based magnetic simulation environment capable to accurately calculate isotropic as well as anisotropic permanent magnets in a ferromagnetic target wheel setup. Available simulation features are superior in terms of field accuracy and computational cost compared to commercially available tools. Incorporating the magnetic simulation core in a holistic simulation design flow offers the integration of application driven key parameters like target wheel rotation or air gap variation and ultimately translates the results to electrical signals. Target wheels, package details including magnet design, chip layout and sensor specific properties are parametrized and investigated in detail. The numerical results of a target wheel optimization based on the multi-physics simulation approach presented in this work are eventually compared to actual measurements. The presented results clearly highlight the potential to support future product developments in the field of magnetic sensors.