Patents Assigned to Seagate Technology LLC
  • Methods of forming MgO barrier layer
    Patent number: 9890449
    Abstract: A method of making an MgO barrier layer for a TMR sensor, the method including depositing a first Mg layer in a first chamber, depositing a second Mg layer on the first Mg layer using a reactive oxide deposition process in the presence of oxygen in the first chamber or in a second chamber different than the first chamber, depositing a third Mg layer on the second MgO layer in either the first chamber, the second chamber, or a third chamber, and annealing the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer to form an MgO barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Qing He, Jae Young Yi, Eric W. Singleton
  • Selecting a maximum laser power for a calibration based on a previously measured function
    Patent number: 9892752
    Abstract: An operational laser power for a heat-assisted, magnetic recording head is selected based on a function of a write quality metric versus laser power. The write quality metric of data written to a magnetic recording medium is monitored at the operational laser power. Responsive to the write quality metric satisfying a threshold, a power difference between the operational laser power and an offset laser power is determined. The offset laser power corresponds to a point of the function where the write quality metric is approximately equal to the threshold. A maximum laser power is set for a calibration operation. The maximum laser power is based on the sum of the operational laser power and the power difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Alfredo Sam Chu, Siew Kin Chow, Franklin P. Martens
  • Write head offset for shingled magnetic recording (SMR) disk drives
    Patent number: 9892749
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for provisioning storage devices. An example method includes determining a write status of an adjacent track that is adjacent to a target track of a shingled magnetic recording (SMR) disk drive. The method may further include determining an offset for a write head based on the write status of the adjacent track and positioning the write head according to the offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Jian Qiang, Xiong Liu
  • Self-biasing storage device sled
    Patent number: 9888607
    Abstract: A self-biasing storage device sled for mounting a storage device within a chassis is provided. The self-biasing storage device sled includes a bezel, which includes a first portion that is stationary relative to a storage device, a second portion vertically captured within the first portion and configured to slide between unlatching and latching positions, and a spring configured to push the latch outwardly from the bezel. The second portion includes a finger-movable member, a latch, and a horizontal biasing feature adjacent to the latch and configured to move in concert with the latch. When the storage device is installed in the chassis, the horizontal biasing feature exerts force against a first chassis interior side surface and biases the storage device sled against a second chassis interior side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Lee Van Pelt, Christopher Ellis Schroeder
  • Self-journaling and hierarchical consistency for non-volatile storage
    Patent number: 9886383
    Abstract: A non-volatile storage system having Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) provides self-journaling and hierarchical consistency, enabling low-latency recovery and force unit access handshake. Mappings between host addresses and addresses in the NVM are maintained via one or more map entries, enabling locating of host data written to the NVM. Objects stored in the NVM include sufficient information to recover the object solely within the object itself. The NVM is managed as one or more data streams, a map stream, and a checkpoint stream. Host data is written to the data streams, map entries are written to the map stream, and checkpoints of map entries and other data structures are written to the checkpoint stream. Time markers embedded in the streams enable determination, during recovery, that selected portions of the streams are inconsistent with each other and are to be discarded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Earl T Cohen, Timothy L Canepa
  • Noise cancellation in multitransducer recording
    Patent number: 9886970
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, an apparatus may comprise a first output driver connected to a first output via a first trace and a second output driver connected to a second output via a second trace. The first output driver may be configured to output a first drive signal to the first output to drive the first output and the first drive signal may cause first induced noise in the second trace. Further, the second output driver may be configured to output a second drive signal based on the first drive signal where the second drive signal may reduce the magnitude of the first induced noise at the second output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Todd Michael Lammers, JianHua Xue, Javier I Guzman, Andrew Thomas Jaeb, Bruce Douglas Buch
  • Read head free layer having front and rear portions biased at different levels
    Patent number: 9886974
    Abstract: A reader having a bearing surface, a free layer, and a free layer biasing structure. The free layer biasing structure includes at least one side shield that applies a first bias field level to a front portion of the free layer that is nearest to the bearing surface and applies a second bias field level to a rear portion of the free layer that is farthest from the bearing surface. The second bias field level is greater than the first bias field level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Scott Wilson Stokes, Victor Boris Sapozhnikov
  • REDUCING READ LATENCY
    Publication number: 20180032264
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing read latency by storing a redundant copy of data are described. In one embodiment, the systems and methods include identifying data assigned to be written to a page of a storage device, storing the data in a page of a first die of the storage device, and saving at least one codeword from the data to a page of a second die. In some embodiments, the first die is associated with a first channel of the storage device and the second die is associated with a second channel of the storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Kevin A. Gomez, Mark Ish, David S. Ebsen, Daniel J. Benjamin
  • MAXIMIZE SMR DRIVE CAPACITY
    Publication number: 20180032263
    Abstract: Systems and methods for maximizing shingled magnetic recording (SMR) drive capacity are described. In one embodiment, the SMR drive may include a main store to store user-accessible data, a media cache and media scratchpad to store internal data temporarily for internal operations, and a storage controller to process read and write requests. In some cases, the main store comprises a shingled media partition and an unshingled media partition. The storage controller may designate one or more data tracks from the shingled media partition as temporary data track guard bands. In some embodiments, a track range is selected based at least in part on at least one of an amount of data in the media cache, a size of the new data in the media cache, and an association between the new data in the media cache and data currently stored within the selected track range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: XIONG LIU, WENXIANG XIE, SZE CHEK TAN, FENG SHEN
  • DIRECT CURRENT MAGNETORESISTIVE JOG OFFSET COMPENSATION
    Publication number: 20180033457
    Abstract: Systems and methods for compensating for magnetoresistive (MR) jog offset direct current (DC) drift in a disc drive are described. In one embodiment, a method may include determining an occurrence of NOS, for example, by monitoring disc slip, to determine when the method should proceed. An MR jog offset DC drift amount is determined for each head of the disc drive. One of several approaches may be employed for determining the MR jog offset DC drift amount. By determining an MR jog offset DC drift amount for each head, a compensation profile is determined for the drive. The determined compensation profile may then be used during operation of the disc drive to compensate for the DC drift. One of several approaches may be employed for compensating based on the compensation profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Mingzhong DING, Xiong LIU, Xiang LU, Qiang BI, Kian Keong OOI
  • Power characteristics in a system of disparate storage drives
    Patent number: 9880602
    Abstract: A mass data storage system includes a plurality of communicatively coupled storage drives powered by one or more power supplies. A power map defines the relationships between the storage drives and the power supplies and power rules/policies define the maximum permissible power load on each power supply at any point in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventor: Guy David Frick
  • System file management on a storage device
    Patent number: 9880857
    Abstract: A method or system comprises reading content of a plurality of system files from storage media of a storage device, generating a master storage device system file, and storing the master storage device system file on the storage media at a master system file location. The location of the master system file is provided to boot firmware or hardware. As a result, when the system boots up, the master system file is read into a temporary cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Jin Quan Shen, Yong Peng Chng, Choon Kiat Tan
  • Computing system enclosure airflow distribution management
    Patent number: 9883618
    Abstract: The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for an enclosure system with optimized internal dynamically controllable airflow distribution. The systems include a computing system enclosure, comprising a plurality of baffles or airflow redirection modules, and a controller configured to control an orientation of one or more of the plurality of baffles or airflow redirection modules for redirection of airflow distribution within the computing system enclosure based on a determined computing system enclosure profile. In another implementation, a method includes monitoring airflow distribution within a computing system enclosure with a plurality of sensors, and controlling an orientation of one or more baffles or airflow redirection modules in the computing system based on results of the monitoring operation for redirection of airflow distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Richard Charles Alexander Pitwon, David Michael Davis
  • Log structured reserved zone for a data storage device
    Patent number: 9880926
    Abstract: A circuit may be configured to store data to a reserved zone of a non-volatile solid state memory (NVSSM) in a log structured manner and to use information stored in the reserved zone to restore data as needed. In some embodiments, a reserved area of a NVSSM may include die from one or more non-volatile memory modules, which can be divided into blocks and the blocks can be combined to form frames. In some examples, the frames may contain frame headers that can contain a unique identifier which can indicate which frame is to be used to restore data structures, such as during power up or for other restore events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Sumanth Jannyavula Venkata
  • Fast soft data by detecting leakage current and sensing time
    Patent number: 9881678
    Abstract: Systems and methods for low latency acquisition of soft data from a memory cell based on a sensing time and/or a leakage current are described. In one embodiment, the systems and methods may include applying a first read voltage to a word line of a page of memory cells selected by a processor of a flash memory device for a read operation, applying a pass voltage to word lines associated with one or more different pages of memory cells of the memory block, upon applying the first read voltage sensing whether a bit line of a memory cell in the selected page conducts, measuring a side effect associated with sensing whether the bit line of the memory cell in the selected page conducts, and assigning a LLR value to the memory cell as a soft LDPC input based at least in part on the measured side effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Young Pil Kim, Antoine Khoueir, Namoh Hwang
  • Disk surface defect detection
    Patent number: 9881642
    Abstract: The present application provides a transducer head comprising a laser source configured to heat a target storage medium surface, and a thermal sensor configured to detect a defect on the target storage medium surface. The present application also provides a method comprising heating a target storage medium surface with an energy source configured in a transducer head to irradiate the target storage medium surface, and detecting a defect on the target storage medium surface using a thermal sensor configured in the transducer head. Other implementations are also described and recited herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Lihong Zhang, Samuel Gan, Xiong Liu
  • Magnetic sensor manufacturing
    Patent number: 9880232
    Abstract: A magnetic sensor comprising a first shield and a second shield and a sensor stack between the first and the second shield, the sensor stack having a plurality of layers wherein at least one layer is annealed using in-situ rapid thermal annealing. In one implementation of the magnetic sensor a seed layer is annealed using in-situ rapid thermal annealing. Alternatively, one of a barrier layer, an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer, and a cap layer is annealed using in-situ rapid thermal annealing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Qing He, Wonjoon Jung, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief, Yonghua Chen
  • Fine grained data retention monitoring in solid state drives
    Patent number: 9881682
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for linking retention parameters that affect data retention in flash to data stored in the flash. One embodiment includes a flash memory and a controller. The controller receives a plurality of write requests from a host, and stores data for the write request in flash pages of the flash memory along with indicators. The controller identifies at least one retention parameter that affects data retention of the stored data, and adds one or more of the indicators to an entry in a journal along with the at least one retention parameter. In response to determining that a data refresh is warranted based on the at least one retention parameter, the controller identifies the one or more indicators associated with the at least one retention parameter in the entry, locates the stored data corresponding to the one or more indicators, and refreshes the stored data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Alex Tang, Timothy Canepa, Ramdas Kachare
  • USING ENCRYPTION KEYS TO MANAGE DATA RETENTION
    Publication number: 20180024942
    Abstract: Systems and methods for using encryption keys to manage data retention are described. In one embodiment, the systems and methods may include receiving data such as user data from a host of the storage drive, encrypting the data using an encryption key, writing the encrypted data to the storage drive, and retaining the encrypted data on the storage drive based at least in part on a validity of the encryption key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Timothy Canepa, Ramdas Kachare
  • Extended file attributes for redundant data storage
    Patent number: 9874915
    Abstract: A mass data storage system includes a data manager that selects a subset of storage resources for storage of a data file and generates location metadata for the data file defining positions of each storage resource in the selected subset of storage resources. According to one implementation, the data manager further defines an extended file attribute associated with the location metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventor: Guy David Frick