Patents by Inventor Elizabeth Ann Brinkman

Elizabeth Ann Brinkman 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).

  • Current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive sensor with multilayer reference layer including a Heusler alloy
    Patent number: 8611053
    Abstract: A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) sensor has a multilayer reference layer containing a Heusler alloy. The multilayer reference layer may be a simple pinned layer or the AP2 layer of an antiparallel (AP)-pinned structure. The multilayer reference layer is formed of a crystalline non-Heusler alloy ferromagnetic layer on either an antiferromagnetic layer (in a simple pinned structure) or an antiparallel coupling (APC) layer (in an AP-pinned structure), a Heusler alloy layer adjacent the sensor's nonmagnetic electrically conducting spacer layer, and an intermediate substantially non-crystalline X-containing layer between the crystalline non-Heusler alloy layer and the Heusler alloy layer. The element X is selected from one or more of tantalum (Ta), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb) and boron (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Brinkman, Matthew J. Carey, Jeffrey R. Childress, Young-suk Choi, Brian R. York
  • CURRENT-PERPENDICULAR-TO-THE-PLANE (CPP) MAGNETORESISTIVE SENSOR WITH MULTILAYER REFERENCE LAYER INCLUDING A HEUSLER ALLOY
    Publication number: 20130236744
    Abstract: A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) sensor has a multilayer reference layer containing a Heusler alloy. The multilayer reference layer may be a simple pinned layer or the AP2 layer of an antiparallel (AP)-pinned structure. The multilayer reference layer is formed of a crystalline non-Heusler alloy ferromagnetic layer on either an antiferromagnetic layer (in a simple pinned structure) or an antiparallel coupling (APC) layer (in an AP-pinned structure), a Heusler alloy layer adjacent the sensor's nonmagnetic electrically conducting spacer layer, and an intermediate substantially non-crystalline X-containing layer between the crystalline non-Heusler alloy layer and the Heusler alloy layer. The element X is selected from one or more of tantalum (Ta), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb) and boron (B).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Inventors: Elizabeth Ann Brinkman, Matthew J. Carey, Jeffrey R. Childress, Young-suk Choi, Brian R. York