Patents by Inventor James Kruger

James Kruger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7355813
    Abstract: An article is formed as a substrate having a projection extending outwardly therefrom. The article may be a magnetic recording head and the projection a write pole. The projection has a width in a thinnest dimension measured parallel to a substrate surface of no more than about 0.3 micrometers and a height measured perpendicular to the substrate of not less than about 5 times the width. The article is fabricated by forming an overlying structure on the substrate with an edge thereon, depositing a replication layer lying on the edge, depositing a filler onto the edge and the substrate, so that the filler, the replication layer, and the overlying structure in combination comprise a continuous layer on the substrate, selectively removing at least a portion of the replication layer from a free surface of the continuous layer inwardly toward the substrate, to form a defined cavity, and depositing a projection material into the defined cavity to form the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Kruger, Benjamin L. Wang, Patrick R. Webb, Howard G. Zolla
  • Publication number: 20050147793
    Abstract: An article is formed as a substrate having a projection extending outwardly therefrom. The article may be a magnetic recording head and the projection a write pole. The projection has a width in a thinnest dimension measured parallel to a substrate surface of no more than about 0.3 micrometers and a height measured perpendicular to the substrate of not less than about 5 times the width. The article is fabricated by forming an overlying structure on the substrate with an edge thereon, depositing a replication layer lying on the edge, depositing a filler onto the edge and the substrate, so that the filler, the replication layer, and the overlying structure in combination comprise a continuous layer on the substrate, selectively removing at least a portion of the replication layer from a free surface of the continuous layer inwardly toward the substrate, to form a defined cavity, and depositing a projection material into the defined cavity to form the projection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Inventors: James Kruger, Benjamin Wang, Patrick Webb, Howard Zolla
  • Patent number: 6859998
    Abstract: An article is formed as a substrate having a projection extending outwardly therefrom. The article may be a magnetic recording head and the projection a write pole. The projection has a width in a thinnest dimension measured parallel to a substrate surface of no more than about 0.3 micrometers and a height measured perpendicular to the substrate of not less than about 5 times the width. The article is fabricated by forming an overlying structure on the substrate with an edge thereon, depositing a replication layer lying on the edge, depositing a filler onto the edge and the substrate, so that the filler, the replication layer, and the overlying structure in combination comprise a continuous layer on the substrate, selectively removing at least a portion of the replication layer from a free surface of the continuous layer inwardly toward the substrate, to form a defined cavity, and depositing a projection material into the defined cavity to form the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Kruger, Benjamin L. Wang, Patrick R. Webb, Howard G. Zolla
  • Publication number: 20050000935
    Abstract: An isotropic deposition method for trench narrowing of thin film magnetic write head features to be created by reactive ion etching. According to the method, a photolithographically defined photoresist trench is formed over a hardmask and underlying polymer layer as part of tri-layer resist process. Instead of performing the usual hardmask and polymer etching steps using the photoresist mask pattern, a spacer layer is deposited isotropically or directionally at an angle to cover the vertical side walls of the trench. The spacer layer is etchable by the hardmask etch process but resistant to the polymer etch process. When the hardmask etch process is performed, the spacer layer material applied to the trench side walls remains intact, thereby defining a narrowed trench that is extended by the subsequent base layer etch process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Inventors: Clinton Snyder, Howard Zolla, Hong Xu, James Kruger
  • Publication number: 20030193740
    Abstract: An article is formed as a substrate having a projection extending outwardly therefrom. The article may be a magnetic recording head and the projection a write pole. The projection has a width in a thinnest dimension measured parallel to a substrate surface of no more than about 0.3 micrometers and a height measured perpendicular to the substrate of not less than about 5 times the width. The article is fabricated by forming an overlying structure on the substrate with an edge thereon, depositing a replication layer lying on the edge, depositing a filler onto the edge and the substrate, so that the filler, the replication layer, and the overlying structure in combination comprise a continuous layer on the substrate, selectively removing at least a portion of the replication layer from a free surface of the continuous layer inwardly toward the substrate, to form a defined cavity, and depositing a projection material into the defined cavity to form the projection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Publication date: October 16, 2003
    Inventors: James Kruger, Benjamin L. Wang, Patrick R. Webb, Howard G. Zolla