Seagate Technology Incorporated

Paul E Anderson

Song Sheng Xue

Dimitar Velikov Dimitrov

Haiwen Xi

Patrick Joseph Ryan

Michael C Kautzky

Antoine Khoueir

Insik Jin

Dexin Wang

Kristin Joy Duxstad

Xuefei Tang

Zheng Gao

Michael Allen Seigler

Eric Walter Singleton

Xiaobin Wang

Olle Gunnar Heinonen

Brian Lee

Michael Xuefei Tang

Konstantin Nikolaev

Wonjoon Jung

Daniel Seymour Reed

Andreas Karl Roelofs

Ivan Petrov Ivanov

Pat J Ryan

Kaizhong Gao

Yong Lu

Wei Tian

Hongyue Liu

Harry Hongyue Liu

Alexander Mikhailovich Shukh

Daniel Paul Burbank

Eric Shane Linville

Brian William Karr

Mai Ghaly

Brenda Anne Everitt

Richard P Larson

Christina L Hutchinson

Yongchul Ahn

Steven B Slade

Mallika Kamarajugadda

David James Larson

Isabel Goncalves Trindade

Markus Siegert

Janusz Jozef Nowak

Picheng Huang

Patrick John Moran

Kenneth P Naughton

Laura C Stearns

David H Olson

Shuiyuan Haung

Lili Jia

Yon Lu

A method for forming a transducing head having a magnetic writer includes forming a pedestal adjacent to a writer pole and a gap layer, depositing a front shield on the pedestal, etching the front shield, and depositing a backfill layer upon the front shield after etching. The front shield has a controlled thickness upon etching.

Method and apparatus for controlled front shield thickness for perpendicular writer

Spin torque magnetic memory elements that have a pinned layer, two free layers, and a current-blocking insulating layer proximate to at least one of the free layers. The resistive state (e.g., low resistance or high resistance) of the memory elements is altered by passing electric current through the element in one direction. In other words, to change from a low resistance to a high resistance, the direction of electric current is the same as to change from a high resistance to a low resistance. The elements have a unidirectional write scheme.

Spin-torque memory with unidirectional write scheme

A tunneling magneto-resistive reader includes a sensor stack separating a top magnetic shield from a bottom magnetic shield. The sensor stack includes a reference magnetic element having a reference magnetization orientation direction and a free magnetic element having a free magnetization orientation direction substantially perpendicular to the reference magnetization orientation direction. A non-magnetic spacer layer separates the reference magnetic element from the free magnetic element. A first side magnetic shield and a second side magnetic shield is disposed between the top magnetic shield from a bottom magnetic shield, and the sensor stack is between the first side magnetic shield and the second side magnetic shield. The first side magnetic shield and the second side magnetic shield electrically insulates the top magnetic shield from a bottom magnetic shield.

Magnetic sensor with perpendicular anisotrophy free layer and side shields

Magnetic tunnel junction cells and methods of making magnetic tunnel junction cells that include a radially protective layer extending proximate at least the ferromagnetic free layer of the cell. The radially protective layer can be specifically chosen in thickness, deposition method, material composition, and/or extent along the cell layers to enhance the effective magnetic properties of the free layer, including the effective coercivity, effective magnetic anisotropy, effective dispersion in magnetic moment, or effective spin polarization.

Memory cell with radial barrier

A magnetic stack having a free layer having a switchable magnetization orientation, a reference layer having a pinned magnetization orientation, and a barrier layer therebetween. The stack includes an annular antiferromagnetic pinning layer electrically isolated from the free layer and in physical contact with the reference layer. In some embodiments, the reference layer is larger than the free layer.

Magnetic stack design

A magnetoresistive device includes a free layer, a separating layer, a pinned layer, and a magnetic stabilizer in close proximity to the pinned layer, wherein the magnetic stabilizer may enhance the stability of the magnetization direction of the pinned layer.

Magnetoresistive device with enhanced pinned layer

Magnetic shift registers in which data writing and reading is accomplished by moving the magnetic domain walls by electric current. Various embodiments of domain wall nodes or anchors that stabilize a domain wall are provided. In some embodiments, the wall anchors are elements separate from the magnetic track. In other embodiments, the wall anchors are disturbances in the physical configuration of the magnetic track. In still other embodiments, the wall anchors are disturbances in the material of the magnetic track.

Magnetic tracks with domain wall storage anchors

Method and apparatus for using a uni-directional write current to store different logic states in a non-volatile memory cell, such as a modified STRAM cell. In some embodiments, the memory cell has an unpinned ferromagnetic reference layer adjacent a cladded conductor, a ferromagnetic storage layer and a tunneling barrier between the reference layer and the storage layer. Passage of a current along the cladded conductor induces a selected magnetic orientation in the reference layer, which is transferred through the tunneling barrier for storage by the storage layer. Further, the orientation of the applying step is provided by a cladding layer adjacent a conductor along which a current is passed and the current induces a magnetic field in the cladding layer of the selected magnetic orientation.

Spin-torque bit cell with unpinned reference layer and unidirectional write current

A method of forming a layer of alpha-tantalum on a substrate including the steps of depositing a layer of titanium nitride on a substrate; and depositing a layer of alpha-tantalum on the layer of titanium nitride, wherein the deposition of the alpha-tantalum is carried out at temperatures below about 300&#xb0; C.

Methods of forming layers of alpha-tantalum

A magnetic element and a method for making a magnetic element. The method includes patterning a first electrode material to form a first electrode on a substrate and depositing filler material on the substrate around the first electrode. The method further includes polishing to form a planar surface of filler and the first electrode. A magnetic cell is formed on the planar surface and a second electrode is formed on the magnetic cell. In some embodiments, the first electrode has an area that is at least 2:1 to the area of the magnetic cell.

Method of fabricating a magnetic stack design with decreased substrate stress

A multilayered magnetoresistive device includes a specular layer positioned on at least one sidewall and a copper layer positioned between the specular layer and the sidewall.

Magnetoresistive device having specular sidewall layers

Growing community of inventors

Eden Prairie, MN, United States of America

Paul E Anderson