A two dimensional magnetic field vector sensitive device

The authors describe a silicon device that is sensitive to two-dimensional magnetic field vectors. It is based on a long-base transistor sensitive to magnetic fields and can be used to measure simultaneously two components of a magnetic field vector. The relative magnetic sensitivities of the collector current along the main sensing axes are equal to or larger than 100%/T; the temperature coefficient of the collector differential current output is 0~0.3%/°C; and good linearity of the transfer characteristic curves is observed. The sensitivity of the device is shown to be one order of magnitude higher than that of a two-dimensional magnetic vector sensitive device based on a double-collector magnetic-field-sensitive silicon transistor