Patents Assigned to Seagate Technologies
  • Patent number: 10409736
    Abstract: A first data storage device may be connected to first and second entities as part of a distributed network with each entity having direct block level access to logical block addresses of the first data storage device. The first data storage device can consist of a provisioning module and a staging buffer with the provisioning module configured to store and acknowledge non-volatile write data in the staging buffer in response to a write request to any logical block address of a range of logical block addresses in the first data storage device. The provisioning module may return previously committed data resident in the range of logical block addresses instead of the write data resident in the staging buffer until a commit signal is received from at least one entity for the write data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Roy Prohofsky
  • Patent number: 10403310
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording. A near-field transducer comprising a peg is situated at or near an air bearing surface of the slider, and an optical waveguide of the slider is configured to couple light from a light source to the near-field transducer. The peg comprises a hyperbolic metamaterial, and the near-field transducer may further include an enlarged portion from which the peg extends, where the enlarged portion may also comprise a hyperbolic metamaterial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Andres David Barbosa Neira, Roberto Fernandez Garcia, Michael James Hardy, Choon How Gan, Mark Anthony Gubbins, Florin Zavaliche, Tong Zhao, Martin Giles Blaber
  • Patent number: 10403313
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording. The slider comprises an input coupler configured to receive light excited by a light source and a waveguide. The waveguide comprises a waveguide core tapering along a light propagation direction from a first cross-sectional width to a second cross-sectional width. The second cross sectional width is smaller than the first cross sectional width. The waveguide core comprises a trench at an output end. The waveguide comprises at least one cladding layer surrounding the waveguide core. The waveguide is configured to provide a surface plasmon-enhanced near-field radiation pattern proximate the output end in response to the received light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Choon How Gan, Mark Anthony Gubbins, Roberto Fernandez Garcia, Michael James Hardy, Andres David Barbosa Neira, Yuhang Cheng, Weibin Chen
  • Patent number: 10395691
    Abstract: A data storage drive has two controllers with respective digital control outputs and serial channels. The drive has a serial test channel operable to communicate with a testing system. A switching circuit is coupled to the digital control outputs, the serial channels, and the serial test channel. The switching circuit is configured to, in response to respective combinations of binary values set via the digital control outputs, switch lines of the serial test channel between the respective serial channels of the controllers. The controllers are configured to set the combinations of binary values in response to one or more command received via a receive line of the serial test channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Kyaw Sin Maung, Aaron M. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 10395680
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a slider having an air bearing surface (ABS). A near-field transducer (NFT) is disposed at or near the ABS. The slider has an optical waveguide configured to couple light from a laser source to the NFT. A thermal sensor is disposed at a leading edge of the NFT, the thermal sensor has an ABS section situated at or proximate the ABS and a distal section extending away from the ABS. The thermal sensor is configured to detect changes in output optical power of the laser source and contact between the slider and a magnetic recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: James Gary Wessel, Chen Wang
  • Patent number: 10396821
    Abstract: Embodiments herein provide for a controller that is operable to soft read a data bit a plurality of times, to generate a bit set for the data bit from the soft reads, to logically operate on the bit set, and to generate a Hamming weight for the data bit based on the logical operation. The Hamming weight has fewer bits than the bit set and is operable to correct the data bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Odin Lien, Jay Allen Sheldon, Ryan James Goss, Ara Patapoutian
  • Patent number: 10395683
    Abstract: A heater power of a heat-assisted magnetic recording head is set based on an initial head-medium clearance estimate in response to the heater power. For a plurality of iterations, an optimum laser power of the recording head is determined and a heater power is set for a next iteration that results in an optimum heater power for the optimum laser power. If differences in the heater and laser powers between two subsequent iterations are below thresholds, the iterations are stopped and the optimum heater power and the optimum laser power for one of the subsequent iterations are used as an operational heater power and an operational laser power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignees: Seagate Technology LLC, SAE Magnetics (Hong Kong) Limited
    Inventors: Tim Rausch, Tatsuya Shimizu, Wai Yuen Lai, Kai Chiu Cheung
  • Patent number: 10394493
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for managing data in a hybrid data storage device. The device has a first non-volatile memory (NVM) of solid state memory cells arranged into a first set of garbage collection units (GCUs), and a second NVM as a rotatable data recording medium arranged into a second set of GCUs each comprising a plurality of shingled magnetic recording tracks. A control circuit combines a first group of logical block units (LBUs) stored in the first set of GCUs with a second group of LBUs stored in the second set of GCUs to form a combined group of LBUs arranged in sequential order by logical address. The control circuit streams the combined group of LBUs to a zone of shingled magnetic recording tracks in a selected one of the second set of GCUs. A combined media translation map identifies physical addresses in both the first and second NVMs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Alex Tang, Leonid Baryudin, Michael Scott Hicken, Mark Ish, Carl Forhan
  • Patent number: 10396817
    Abstract: A low-density parity-check decoder utilizes information about hard errors in a storage medium to identify bit locations to flip log-likelihood ratios while attempting to decode codewords. The decoder iteratively flips and saturates log-likelihood ratios for bits at hard error locations and re-decodes until a valid codeword is produced. The decoder also identifies variable nodes associated with trapping sets for iterative log-likelihood ratio bit flipping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zhengang Chen, Abdelhakim S. Alhussein, Erich F. Haratsch
  • Patent number: 10395679
    Abstract: A data storage system can employ at least one transducing head that is suspended above a data storage medium to access data. The transducing head suspension can be configured with a resonance system where a gimbal flexure is mounted to a load beam via a physical connection. The gimbal flexure may support a transducing head and contact the load beam via the physical connection, a dimple, and a first contact feature concurrently while the physical connection, dimple, and first contact feature are each separate and different points of physical contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Ravishankar Ajjanagadde Shivarama, Bradley J. Ver Meer, Razman Zambri
  • Patent number: 10395673
    Abstract: A temperature compensation equation is generated during manufacture of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk drive using initial total currents supplied to a laser diode of the disk drive at different initial operating temperatures. The total currents represent currents for recording data to or erasing data from the medium. The temperature compensation equation is stored in the disk drive, and updated, during field operation, using a subsequent total current associated with an operating temperature differing from the initial operating temperatures. The total current supplied to the laser diode for a subsequent write operation is adjusted using the updated temperature compensation equation in response to the operating temperature at the time of the subsequent write operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Alfredo Sam Chu, Franklin P. Martens, Drew Michael Mader, Steven J. Kimble, James E. Angelo
  • Patent number: 10387337
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a communication interface, a controller, and a power section. The communication interface is configured to receive power from an external host to the apparatus. The controller is configured to limit a current drawn by the communication interface to a predetermined value when the apparatus is powered through the external host. The power section is configured to generate a first voltage from a portion of the limited current drawn by the communication interface. The first voltage powers a data storage circuitry. The power section is further configured to store electrical charges received from another portion of the limited current drawn by the communication interface. The power section is further configured to generate a second voltage from the stored electrical charges in response to a signal from the controller. The second voltage supplements the first voltage during high power events by the data storage circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: John Wayne Shaw, Robert John Dore, Christopher A. Massarotti, Philip Jurey, Ashutosh Razdan, Philip Yin, Michael Gene Morgan
  • Patent number: 10384306
    Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus that includes a first and second laser source. The first and second laser sources are each operable to cut a substrate and are each independently movable with respect to one another. Further, the first and second laser sources are included within a multitude of laser sources that are arranged in a circular array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Ian J. Beresford, Joachim Walter Ahner, David M. Tung, Weilu H. Xu, Kuo-Hsing Hwang
  • Patent number: 10388368
    Abstract: Adaptive read reference voltage tracking techniques are provided that employ charge leakage mitigation. An exemplary device for use with multi-level memory cells, comprises a controller configured to: after a predefined time interval that approximates a settling time after a programming of the multi-level memory cells until a charge leakage of one or more of the multi-level memory cells has settled, determine a plurality of read reference voltages for the multi-level memory cells using a post-programming adaptive tracking algorithm; and employ the plurality of read reference voltages to read data from the multi-level memory cells. The reference voltage offsets are optionally determined based on a shift in the read reference voltages after the predefined time interval since the programming of the multi-level memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Ludovic Danjean, Sundararajan Sankaranarayanan, Erich F. Haratsch
  • Patent number: 10388385
    Abstract: Channel information and channel conditions determined by an Offline Tracking process are used to determine whether or not an adjustment to the read reference voltage can be avoided altogether without detrimentally affecting performance, or, alternatively, to determine a precision with which a read reference voltage adjustment should be made. If it is determined based on the channel conditions that a read reference voltage adjustment can be avoided altogether, read performance is improved by reducing the probability that a read reference voltage adjustment needs to be made during normal read operations. If it is determined based on the channel conditions that a read reference voltage adjustment needs to be made with a particular precision, the read reference voltage is so adjusted. This latter approach is advantageous in that relatively fewer adjustments will be made during normal read operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zhengang Chen, Erich F. Haratsch, Sundararajan Sankaranarayanan
  • Patent number: 10388342
    Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus including a three dimensional crystalline structure including a number of storage locations. The storage locations are arranged in three dimensions within the crystalline structure. A light source is configured to focus a first light with a first energy on one of the storage locations in order to alter a characteristic of the storage location. The light source is further able to focus a second light with a second light energy on the storage location without altering the characteristic. A detector is provided to detect the second light energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Joachim Walter Ahner, David Marcus Tung
  • Patent number: 10388314
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for reducing the effects of thermal asperities on a rotatable data recording surface. A data transducer writes user data to a first set of tracks at a first fly height above the recording surface. A compensation circuit detects a thermal asperity (TA) on the recording surface, and establishes a guard band as a second set of tracks that are co-radial with the TA. The second set of tracks are deallocated and removed from service. The compensation circuit further defines a reserve band as a third set of tracks immediately adjacent the guard band, and selects an increased, second fly height that allows the data transducer to write data to the reserve band without contacting the TA. The second set of tracks may have a greater track pitch than the first set of tracks to compensate for the greater fly height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Xiong Liu, Lan Xia, Quan Li, Lihong Zhang, Swee Chuan Samuel Gan
  • Patent number: 10388320
    Abstract: Provided herein are apparatus and methods for inspecting articles for features using interference in light reflected from the articles. The interference may be used to detect, distinguish, and/or map features of articles, which features may include, but are not limited to, surface defects. In at least one embodiment, an apparatus and method includes conveying parallel light along a primary axis through a telecentric lens and a light-splitting device, respectively; illuminating a majority of a surface of an article with the parallel light; conveying reflected light from the surface of the article along the primary axis back through the light-splitting device and the telecentric lens, respectively; and recording interference resulting from a combination of light comprising at least the reflected light from the surface of the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Joachim Ahner, David Tung
  • Patent number: 10388310
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an input coupler configured to receive light excited by a light source. A near-field transducer (NFT) is positioned at a media-facing surface of a write head. A layered waveguide is positioned between the input coupler and the NFT and configured to receive the light output from the input coupler in a transverse electric (TE) mode and deliver the light to the NFT in a transverse magnetic (TM) mode. The layered waveguide comprises a first layer extending along a light-propagation direction. The first layer is configured to receive light from the input coupler. The first layer tapers from a first cross track width to a second cross track width where the second cross track width is narrower than the first cross track width. The layered waveguide includes a second layer that is disposed on the first layer. The second layer has a cross sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the light propagation direction that increases along the light propagation direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Neil Harvey, Aidan Dominic Goggin, Kelly Elizabeth Callan, John Bernard McGurk, Reyad Mehfuz
  • Patent number: D857014
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Chu-Hsun Wu, Liying Bi, Britt Ashcraft, Daniel Ashcraft, Eric Beaupre