The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 10, 2006
Filed:
Mar. 02, 2004
Carl Stephen Arnold, Golden, CO (US);
Edward Virgil Denison, Erie, CO (US);
John P. Nibarger, Superior, CO (US);
Carl A. Helms, Lafayette, CO (US);
Carl Stephen Arnold, Golden, CO (US);
Edward Virgil Denison, Erie, CO (US);
John P. Nibarger, Superior, CO (US);
Carl A. Helms, Lafayette, CO (US);
Storage Technology Corporation, Louisville, CO (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for step-stabilization of giant magnetoresistive (GMR) based read heads are provided. With the apparatus and method, gratings or periodic structures are generated in the underlayer of the magnetoresistive (MR) sensor stack and the edges, or 'steps', in these structures are the magnetically active features. These 'steps' are oriented approximately parallel to the desired bias direction and provide a restoring force towards the bias direction for any perturbations, whether intrinsic or extrinsic. In the case of a GMR sensor, where the easy axis is parallel to the permanent magnet set direction, these stabilizer steps are oriented parallel to the magnetization direction of the permanent magnets.