Kenneth Ting-Yuan Kung

Title: Innovations of Kenneth Ting-Yuan Kung

Introduction

Kenneth Ting-Yuan Kung is a notable inventor based in San Jose, California. He has made significant contributions to the field of magnetoresistive sensors, holding a total of 6 patents. His work has advanced the technology used in various applications, particularly in the realm of data storage and sensing devices.

Latest Patents

One of his latest patents is for an edge-biased magnetoresistive sensor. This invention comprises a layer of ferromagnetic material forming an MR sensing element. The MR sensor is uniquely biased by utilizing the MR stripe uniaxial anisotropy and the shape anisotropy of the active region of the sensing element. The active region has a generally square geometry to provide the desired shape anisotropy. The sensor is biased at approximately 45 degrees by defining the magnetization at the four edges of the active region, which is achieved by canting the magnetic easy axis during fabrication. To minimize Barkhausen noise, a single magnetic domain configuration is established by reducing the sensor's active region dimensions. This ensures that the formation of multiple magnetic domains is energetically unfavorable. Additionally, a magnetic biasing material can be provided at opposing edges to maintain the desired magnetization orientation and stabilize the sensor.

Another significant patent involves a magnetoresistive sensor employing an exchange-bias enhancing layer. In this invention, the MR layer composition is altered at the interface with an antiferromagnetic layer, which is in direct contact with the ferromagnetic MR layer. The exchange-bias field strength in the MR layer is increased at room temperature by adding a specially-optimized transition region at the interface. The varying percentage of iron in the ferromagnetic alloy enhances the exchange-bias field while maintaining the lower coercivity preferred in the layer. This innovation enhances the longitudinal bias field without reducing the critical temperature at which the temperature-dependent exchange-bias field approaches zero.

Career Highlights

Kenneth Kung is currently employed at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), where he continues to innovate and develop advanced technologies. His work has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of magnetoresistive sensor technology.

Collaborations

He has collaborated with notable coworkers, including Ching Hwa Tsang and Po-Kang Wang, contributing to various projects and advancements in their field.

Conclusion

Kenneth Ting