Despite the fact that Edwin Hall discovered the Hall effect in 1879, readily available and cost effective Hall-effect sensors would not surface in the marketplace until the later part of the 20th century. The rapid development and expansion of silicon integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing technologies in the 1970s essentially enabled the modern day Hall-effect sensor. And in recent years, as Hall sensor technology evolves to an even higher level of integration, the popularity of Hall effect sensors is on the rise in appliance design applications.