Patents by Inventor Barry C. Stipe

Barry C. Stipe 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: 11817677
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a head gimbal assembly for mounting a VCSEL, devices incorporating such articles, and to a process for forming a VCSEL. In an embodiment, a VCSEL device provided. The VCSEL device includes a chip for mounting on a slider, the chip having a plurality of surfaces and a notch, the plurality of surfaces comprising: a bottom surface for facing the slider; a top surface opposite the bottom surface; and a plurality of side surfaces, wherein the notch forms a recessed edge spaced away from the bottom surface and toward the top surface, the notch having a shoulder, a side, and an angle (?1) between the shoulder and the side. The VCSEL device further includes two laser diode electrodes positioned in any combination on one or more of the plurality of surfaces of the chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takuya Matsumoto, Barry C. Stipe
  • Patent number: 11657845
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording head for a magnetic media drive. The magnetic recording head comprises a near field transducer (NFT), a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) device, and a waveguide structure coupled between the NFT and the VCSEL device. The waveguide structure comprises a plurality of waveguide channels and a multimodal interference (MMI) combiner coupled to the waveguide channels. One or more of a curvature, a path length, and a propagation length of each of the waveguide channels is optimized such that each waveguide channel is controllable, or otherwise phase coherent with adjacent waveguide channels. The VCSEL device is capable of emitting a plurality of lasers through the plurality of waveguide channels, and the plurality of lasers are phase coherent when input into the MMI combiner. The MMI combiner combines a power of the plurality of lasers, which is output to the NFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Norman N. Shi, Takuya Matsumoto, Barry C. Stipe
  • Patent number: 11651791
    Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for recording data in data tracks of a HAMR disk has a gas-bearing slider that supports a near-field transducer (NFT) and a main magnetic pole formed of two layers. The first main pole layer has a cross-track width at the slider's gas-bearing surface (GBS) that tapers down in the direction towards the NFT where the optical spot is formed. The second main pole layer is located away from the NFT and has a substantially wider cross-track width than the first main pole layer so as to provide sufficient magnetic field for writing. Layers of heat sink material are located on the sloped cross-track sides of the tapered first main pole layer to reduce the temperature and thus the likelihood of oxidation of the main pole layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takuya Matsumoto, Muhammad Asif Bashir, Hamid Balamane, Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden, Barry C. Stipe
  • Patent number: 11651786
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to pretreating a magnetic recording head for magnetic media drive. For a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head, a light source provides the necessary heat for the drive to operation. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is mounted to a top surface of a slider. A plurality of laser beams are emitted from the bottom surface of the VCSEL and directed to a corresponding number of waveguide structures within the HAMR head. The waveguide structures feed into a multimode interference (MMI) device that then directs the laser into a single waveguide for focusing on a near field transducer (NFT). The VCSEL lasers are phase coherent and have no mode hopping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry C. Stipe, Takuya Matsumoto, Sergei Sochava
  • Patent number: 11651787
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to pretreating a magnetic recording head for magnetic media drive. For a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head, a light source provides the necessary heat for the drive to operation. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is mounted to a top surface of a slider. A plurality of laser beams are emitted from the bottom surface of the VCSEL and directed to a corresponding number of waveguide structures within the HAMR head. The waveguide structures feed into a multimode interference (MMI) device that then directs the laser into a single waveguide for focusing on a near field transducer (NFT). The VCSEL lasers are phase coherent and have no mode hopping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry C. Stipe, Takuya Matsumoto, Sergei Sochava
  • Publication number: 20220407287
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a head gimbal assembly for mounting a VCSEL, devices incorporating such articles, and to a process for forming a VCSEL. In an embodiment, a process for forming a VCSEL device is provided. The process includes forming a trench in a substrate, forming two laser diode electrodes in the trench, and after forming the two laser diode electrodes, cutting the substrate along the trench to form a VCSEL, the VCSEL comprising a chip for mounting on a slider, the chip having six surfaces, wherein a first surface of the chip is for facing the slider, a second surface of the chip is opposite the first surface, the two laser diode electrodes being positioned in any combination on one or more of a third surface, a fourth surface, a fifth surface, or a sixth surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Takuya MATSUMOTO, Barry C. STIPE
  • Publication number: 20220407288
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a head gimbal assembly for mounting a VCSEL, devices incorporating such articles, and to a process for forming a VCSEL. In an embodiment, a VCSEL device provided. The VCSEL device includes a chip for mounting on a slider, the chip having a plurality of surfaces and a notch, the plurality of surfaces comprising: a bottom surface for facing the slider; a top surface opposite the bottom surface; and a plurality of side surfaces, wherein the notch forms a recessed edge spaced away from the bottom surface and toward the top surface, the notch having a shoulder, a side, and an angle (?1) between the shoulder and the side. The VCSEL device further includes two laser diode electrodes positioned in any combination on one or more of the plurality of surfaces of the chip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Takuya MATSUMOTO, Barry C. STIPE
  • Publication number: 20220358964
    Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for recording data in data tracks of a HAMR disk has a gas-bearing slider that supports a near-field transducer (NFT) and a main magnetic pole formed of two layers. The first main pole layer has a cross-track width at the slider's gas-bearing surface (GBS) that tapers down in the direction towards the NFT where the optical spot is formed. The second main pole layer is located away from the NFT and has a substantially wider cross-track width than the first main pole layer so as to provide sufficient magnetic field for writing. Layers of heat sink material are located on the sloped cross-track sides of the tapered first main pole layer to reduce the temperature and thus the likelihood of oxidation of the main pole layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takuya MATSUMOTO, Muhammad ASIF BASHIR, Hamid BALAMANE, Petrus Antonius VAN DER HEIJDEN, Barry C. STIPE
  • Publication number: 20220189507
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to pretreating a magnetic recording head for magnetic media drive. For a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head, a light source provides the necessary heat for the drive to operation. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is mounted to a top surface of a slider. A plurality of laser beams are emitted from the bottom surface of the VCSEL and directed to a corresponding number of waveguide structures within the HAMR head. The waveguide structures feed into a multimode interference (MMI) device that then directs the laser into a single waveguide for focusing on a near field transducer (NFT). The VCSEL lasers are phase coherent and have no mode hopping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Barry C. STIPE, Takuya MATSUMOTO, Sergei SOCHAVA
  • Publication number: 20220189508
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to pretreating a magnetic recording head for magnetic media drive. For a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head, a light source provides the necessary heat for the drive to operation. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is mounted to a top surface of a slider. A plurality of laser beams are emitted from the bottom surface of the VCSEL and directed to a corresponding number of waveguide structures within the HAMR head. The waveguide structures feed into a multimode interference (MMI) device that then directs the laser into a single waveguide for focusing on a near field transducer (NFT). The VCSEL lasers are phase coherent and have no mode hopping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Barry C. STIPE, Takuya MATSUMOTO, Sergei SOCHAVA
  • Patent number: 10636442
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes a main pole, a waveguide and a NFT disposed between the main pole and the waveguide. The NFT includes an antenna, and the antenna includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion may be made of a material having a higher melting point than the material of the first portion. Having the second portion helps reduce the temperature rise of the NFT and reduce the laser power applied to the NFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Takuya Matsumoto, Vijay Prakash Singh Rawat, Barry C. Stipe
  • Publication number: 20190378539
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes a main pole, a waveguide and a NFT disposed between the main pole and the waveguide. The NFT includes an antenna, and the antenna includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion may be made of a material having a higher melting point than the material of the first portion. Having the second portion helps reduce the temperature rise of the NFT and reduce the laser power applied to the NFT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Takuya MATSUMOTO, Vijay Prakash Singh RAWAT, Barry C. STIPE
  • Patent number: 10403315
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes a main pole, a waveguide and a NFT disposed between the main pole and the waveguide. The NFT includes an antenna, and the antenna includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion may be made of a material having a higher melting point than the material of the first portion. Having the second portion helps reduce the temperature rise of the NFT and reduce the laser power applied to the NFT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Takuya Matsumoto, Vijay Prakash Singh Rawat, Barry C. Stipe
  • Patent number: 10283146
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes a head, where the head includes: an optical signal source configured to emit a first optical signal, and a near-field transducer (NFT) configured to focus the first optical signal on a moving ferroelectric storage medium positioned below the head. The system also includes a detector operatively coupled to the head, where the detector is configured to detect a second optical signal generated in and reflected from the ferroelectric storage medium, and where the second optical signal has twice the optical frequency as the first optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takuya Matsumoto, Barry C. Stipe, Ikuya Tagawa, Roger W. Wood
  • Publication number: 20180350397
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes a head, where the head includes: an optical signal source configured to emit a first optical signal, and a near-field transducer (NFT) configured to focus the first optical signal on a moving ferroelectric storage medium positioned below the head. The system also includes a detector operatively coupled to the head, where the detector is configured to detect a second optical signal generated in and reflected from the ferroelectric storage medium, and where the second optical signal has twice the optical frequency as the first optical signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Matsumoto, Barry C. Stipe, Ikuya Tagawa, Roger W. Wood
  • Patent number: 10056098
    Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, wherein the head comprises a first sensor element and a second sensor element. When configured into a first single-ended mode, a bias signal is applied to the first sensor element to generate a first single-ended output signal based on a response of the first sensor element, and when configured into a second single-ended mode, the bias signal is applied to the second sensor element to generate a second single-ended output signal based on a response of the first sensor element. When configured into a differential mode, the bias signal is concurrently applied to the first sensor element and the second sensor element to generate a differential output signal based on a response of the first sensor element and the second sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sukumar Rajauria, Erhard Schreck, John T. Contreras, Joey M. Poss, Rehan A. Zakai, Robert Smith, Barry C. Stipe
  • Patent number: 9852749
    Abstract: An apparatus, according to one embodiment, comprises a near field transducer; an adhesion layer on a media facing side of the near field transducer, the adhesion layer comprising Ni and Cr; and a protective layer on a media facing side of the adhesion layer. Other apparatuses, systems and methods are described in additional embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Xiaoping Bian, Qing Dai, Alan C. Lam, Barry C. Stipe
  • Publication number: 20170186451
    Abstract: An apparatus, according to one embodiment, comprises a near field transducer; an adhesion layer on a media facing side of the near field transducer, the adhesion layer comprising Ni and Cr; and a protective layer on a media facing side of the adhesion layer. Other apparatuses, systems and methods are described in additional embodiments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Xiaoping Bian, Qing Dai, Alan C. Lam, Barry C. Stipe
  • Patent number: 9633677
    Abstract: A system, according to one embodiment, includes a near field transducer; an adhesion layer on a media facing side of the near field transducer, the adhesion layer comprising Ni and Cr; and a protective layer on a media facing side of the adhesion layer. Other systems and methods are described in additional embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoping Bian, Qing Dai, Alan C. Lam, Barry C. Stipe
  • Publication number: 20170047088
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes a main pole, a waveguide and a NFT disposed between the main pole and the waveguide. The NFT includes an antenna, and a portion of the antenna is disposed at a media facing surface. By increasing the volume of the antenna extending from the MFS, the temperature of the NFT during operation is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Takuya MATSUMOTO, Barry C. STIPE