Patents by Inventor Greg A. Schmitz

Greg A. Schmitz 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).

  • Publication number: 20210090857
    Abstract: Methods that include directing an incident beam towards a substrate, the substrate having one or more features formed thereon wherein the incident beam has a wavelength from about 10 ?m to about 10 mm, and the incident beam interacts with the substrate to form a modulated beam; varying one or more characteristics of the incident beam while directed towards the substrate; detecting the modulated beam while varying the one or more characteristics of the incident beam to collect a spectrum; and determining at least one spatial metric of the at least one feature based on the collected spectrum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Minna Hovinen, Mathias Schubert, Gerald Finken, Greg Schmitz, Tino Hofmann, Stefan Schöche
  • Patent number: 10672423
    Abstract: The present disclosure involves electronic test structures, and related methods, for use with one or more magnetoresistive elements at least at the wafer stage of slider manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jeff R. O'Konski, Andrew David Habermas, Charles J. Mann, Greg A. Schmitz
  • Publication number: 20190311733
    Abstract: The present disclosure involves electronic test structures, and related methods, for use with one or more magnetoresistive elements at least at the wafer stage of slider manufacturing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Inventors: Jeff R. O'Konski, Andrew David Habermas, Charles J. Mann, Greg A. Schmitz
  • Patent number: 10224066
    Abstract: A method includes depositing a plurality of layers over a substrate. The layers include read sensor layers and an electrically conductive layer substantially coplanar with the read sensor layers and substantially surrounding the read sensor layers. The electrically conductive layer is in contact with at least one of the read sensor layers. The electrically conductive layer provides an electrical path between the at least one of the read sensor layers and ground. The method further includes forming an isolation structure around the read sensor layers by removing a portion of the electrically conductive layer substantially surrounding the read sensor layers. The isolation structure is substantially coplanar with the read sensor layers and substantially surrounds the read sensor layers. The isolation structure breaks the electrical path between the at least one of the read sensor layers and the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Andrew J. Hakanson, Robbee L. Grimm, Greg A. Schmitz
  • Patent number: 9646636
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic read-write head, including the steps of presenting a row bar to a processing location, the row bar including an air bearing surface, at least one read-write head, at least one electronic lapping guide, and at least one trigger device, wherein each electronic lapping guide is positioned at a different distance from the air bearing surface than each trigger device, and wherein the read-write head and at least one of the trigger devices include a multi-layer stack of materials; lapping the air bearing surface while measuring the electrical resistance of at least one electronic lapping guide and at least one trigger device until the resistance measurement of the trigger device provides an open circuit reading, and measuring an offset resistance value of the at least one electronic lapping guide concurrently with the measurement of the open circuit reading by the trigger device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. O'Konski, Garrick F. Shurts, Greg A. Schmitz, Gregory P. Shaffer
  • Publication number: 20160071535
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic read-write head, including the steps of presenting a row bar to a processing location, the row bar including an air bearing surface, at least one read-write head, at least one electronic lapping guide, and at least one trigger device, wherein each electronic lapping guide is positioned at a different distance from the air bearing surface than each trigger device, and wherein the read-write head and at least one of the trigger devices include a multi-layer stack of materials; lapping the air bearing surface while measuring the electrical resistance of at least one electronic lapping guide and at least one trigger device until the resistance measurement of the trigger device provides an open circuit reading, and measuring an offset resistance value of the at least one electronic lapping guide concurrently with the measurement of the open circuit reading by the trigger device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. O'Konski, Garrick F. Shurts, Greg A. Schmitz, Gregory P. Shaffer
  • Publication number: 20160041089
    Abstract: Methods that include directing an incident beam towards a substrate, the substrate having one or more features formed thereon wherein the incident beam has a wavelength from about 10 ?m to about 10 mm, and the incident beam interacts with the substrate to form a modulated beam; varying one or more characteristics of the incident beam while directed towards the substrate; detecting the modulated beam while varying the one or more characteristics of the incident beam to collect a spectrum; and determining at least one spatial metric of the at least one feature based on the collected spectrum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Minna Hovinen, Mathias Schubert, Gerald Finken, Greg Schmitz, Tino Hofmann, Stefan Schöche
  • Patent number: 9190083
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic read-write head, including the steps of presenting a row bar to a processing location, the row bar including an air bearing surface, at least one read-write head, at least one electronic lapping guide, and at least one trigger device, wherein each electronic lapping guide is positioned at a different distance from the air bearing surface than each trigger device, and wherein the read-write head and at least one of the trigger devices include a multi-layer stack of materials; lapping the air bearing surface while measuring the electrical resistance of at least one electronic lapping guide and at least one trigger device until the resistance measurement of the trigger device provides an open circuit reading, and measuring an offset resistance value of the at least one electronic lapping guide concurrently with the measurement of the open circuit reading by the trigger device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. O'Konski, Garrick F. Shurts, Greg A. Schmitz, Gregory P. Shaffer
  • Publication number: 20150103443
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic read-write head, including the steps of presenting a row bar to a processing location, the row bar including an air bearing surface, at least one read-write head, at least one electronic lapping guide, and at least one trigger device, wherein each electronic lapping guide is positioned at a different distance from the air bearing surface than each trigger device, and wherein the read-write head and at least one of the trigger devices include a multi-layer stack of materials; lapping the air bearing surface while measuring the electrical resistance of at least one electronic lapping guide and at least one trigger device until the resistance measurement of the trigger device provides an open circuit reading, and measuring an offset resistance value of the at least one electronic lapping guide concurrently with the measurement of the open circuit reading by the trigger device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Applicant: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. O'Konski, Garrick F. Shurts, Greg A. Schmitz, Gregory P. Shaffer
  • Publication number: 20090105543
    Abstract: A device for cleaning a lens of an endoscope inside a patient during a surgical procedure may include a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end and an opening, and an expandable member coupled with the cannula such that when fluid is introduced into the expandable member, it expands out of the opening in the cannula. A method for cleaning a lens of an endoscope inside a patient during a surgical procedure may involve: advancing a cannula into the patient; passing fluid into an expandable member coupled with the cannula to expand the expandable member, wherein some of the fluid passes through the expandable member to an outer surface of the expandable member; and contacting the endoscope lens with the outer surface of the expandable member, located inside the patient, to clean the lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Eric C. Miller, Greg Schmitz, Scott M. Smith
  • Publication number: 20080051812
    Abstract: A device for cutting tissue in a human body may include an elongate, hollow shaft having a proximal portion and a distal portion, a bundle of flexible wires slidably disposed within at least a portion of the shaft and having a proximal end and a distal end, and an actuator coupled with the proximal portion of the shaft and the proximal end of the bundle of wires. The distal end of the bundle may be configured to facilitate cutting of tissue, and the wires of the bundle may be at least partially free to move, relative to one another, to allow a cross-sectional shape of the bundle to differ along a length from the proximal to the distal end. The actuator may be configured to move the wires back and forth through the hollow shaft to cause the distal ends of the wires to cut tissue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Applicant: BAXANO, INC.
    Inventors: Greg Schmitz, Jefferey Bleam, Jefffrey L. Bleich, Roy Leguidleguid, Vahid Saadat