Patents by Inventor Mark William Covington

Mark William Covington 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: 20210389387
    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: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Inventors: Qing HE, Wonjoon JUNG, Mark William COVINGTON, Mark Thomas KIEF, Yonghua CHEN
  • Patent number: 11125836
    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: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Qing He, Wonjoon Jung, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief, Yonghua Chen
  • Patent number: 10446917
    Abstract: Deformable magnetic antennas are provided to include a plurality of flexible magnetic antenna layers stacked to form a layered magnetic antenna structure that is bendable. Each flexible magnetic antenna layer includes a magnetic material that confines a magnetic field to concentrate a magnetic flux of the magnetic field inside the magnetic antenna layer. A lubricating material is applied between adjacent flexible magnetic antenna layers to allow adjacent magnetic layers to move relative to one another when the layered magnetic antenna structure is bent so as to reduce a stress in each flexible magnetic antenna layer caused by bending the layered magnetic antenna structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: General Atomics
    Inventors: Mark Eugene Bonebright, Mark William Covington, Jeffrey Howard Caton
  • Patent number: 10447406
    Abstract: Magnetic antenna techniques and devices are disclosed for operating at an RF or microwave frequency by using a magnetic antenna structure having a spatially varying property that varies spatially from one location to another location in at least a portion of the magnetic antenna structure. Such a spatially varying property can be reflected in various ways, e.g., a spatially varying geometry profile in part of or the entirety of the magnetic antenna structure, a spatially varying antenna material property in a spatially uniform geometry or a spatially varying geometry. The disclosed technology also provides magnetic antenna structures based on splitting the componentry for transmission and reception so that each can be individually optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: General Atomics
    Inventor: Mark William Covington
  • Publication number: 20180120387
    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: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Qing He, Wonjoon Jung, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief, Yonghua Chen
  • 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
  • Patent number: 9378760
    Abstract: A data reader may be configured with a tuned microstructure by initially cooling a substrate to a temperature of 100K or lower and subsequently depositing at least one layer of a data reader on the substrate while the substrate is maintained at the temperature. The tuned microstructure may consist of at least a grain size, grain size distribution, interface quality between multiple layers of the data reader, resistance-area product, and magnetoresistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Qing He, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief
  • Publication number: 20160035376
    Abstract: A data reader may be configured with a tuned microstructure by initially cooling a substrate to a temperature of 100K or lower and subsequently depositing at least one layer of a data reader on the substrate while the substrate is maintained at the temperature. The tuned microstructure may consist of at least a grain size, grain size distribution, interface quality between multiple layers of the data reader, resistance-area product, and magnetoresistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Inventors: Qing He, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief
  • Patent number: 9240200
    Abstract: A magnetic element may be configured with at least a magnetic stack having first and second magnetically free layers that each has a predetermined stripe height from an air bearing surface (ABS). The first and second magnetically free layers can respectively be configured with first and second uniaxial anisotropies that are crossed in relation to the ABS and angled in response to the predetermined stripe height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mark William Covington, Victor Boris Sapozhnikov, Wonjoon Jung, Dimitar Velikov Demitrov, Dian Song, Taras Pohkil
  • Patent number: 9165574
    Abstract: An apparatus and associated method may be used to provide a data sensing element capable of detecting changes in magnetic states. Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a magnetically responsive lamination of layers and means for generating a high magnetic moment region proximal to an air bearing surface (ABS) and a low magnetic moment region proximal to a hard magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mark William Covington, Qing He, Thomas Roy Boonstra
  • Patent number: 9147414
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a waveguide having a core layer and an end adjacent to an air bearing surface, first and second poles magnetically coupled to each other and positioned on opposite sides of the waveguide, wherein the first pole includes a first portion spaced from the waveguide and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the air bearing surface, with the second portion being structured such that an end of the second portion is closer to the core layer of the waveguide than the first portion, and a heat sink positioned adjacent to the second portion of the first pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Michael Allen Seigler, Mark William Covington, Michael Leigh Mallary, Hua Zhou, Amit Vasant Itagi
  • Patent number: 9036308
    Abstract: Various embodiments may be generally directed to a magnetic sensor constructed with a decoupling layer that has a predetermined first morphology. A magnetic free layer can be deposited contactingly adjacent to the decoupling layer with the magnetic free layer configured to have at least a first sub-layer having a predetermined second morphology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief, Wonjoon Jung
  • Patent number: 9034491
    Abstract: A magnetic element may generally be configured at least with a magnetic stack having a multilayer barrier structure disposed between first and second ferromagnetic layers. The multilayer barrier structure can have a binary compound layer disposed between first and second alloy layers with the binary compound having a metal element and a second element where at least one alloy layer has the metal element and a third element dissimilar from the second element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Vijay Karthik Sankar, Mark William Covington
  • Patent number: 9001474
    Abstract: An apparatus can be generally directed to a magnetic stack having a magnetically free layer positioned on an air bearing surface (ABS). The magnetically free layer can be biased to a predetermined magnetization in various embodiments by a biasing structure that is coupled with the magnetically free layer and positioned distal the ABS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mark William Covington, Dimitar Velikov Dimitrov, Dian Song
  • Patent number: 8970991
    Abstract: A data storage device may be generally directed to a data transducing head capable of magnetoresistive data reading. Such a data transducing head may be configured with at least a trilayer reader that contacts and is biased by a coupling feature. The coupling feature may have a smaller extent from an air bearing surface (ABS) than the trilayer reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Dimitar Velikov Dimitrov, Dian Song, Wonjoon Jung, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief
  • Publication number: 20140340792
    Abstract: An apparatus can be generally directed to a magnetic stack having a magnetically free layer positioned on an air bearing surface (ABS). The magnetically free layer can be biased to a predetermined magnetization in various embodiments by a biasing structure that is coupled with the magnetically free layer and positioned distal the ABS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: Mark William Covington, Dimitar Velikov Dimitrov, Dian Song
  • Publication number: 20140268428
    Abstract: A data storage device may be generally directed to a data transducing head capable of magnetoresistive data reading. Such a data transducing head may be configured with at least a trilayer reader that contacts and is biased by a coupling feature. The coupling feature may have a smaller extent from an air bearing surface (ABS) than the trilayer reader.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Dimitar Velikov Dimitrov, Dian Song, Wonjoon Jung, Mark William Covington, Mark Thomas Kief
  • Patent number: 8837092
    Abstract: An apparatus can be generally directed to a magnetic stack having a magnetically free layer positioned on an air bearing surface (ABS). The magnetically free layer can be biased to a predetermined magnetization in various embodiments by a biasing structure that is coupled with the magnetically free layer and positioned distal the ABS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mark William Covington, Dimitar Velikov Dimitrov, Dian Song
  • Publication number: 20140254337
    Abstract: A device comprises a near field transducer (NFT) and electrodes configured to at least one of generate or enhance surface plasmons in the NFT by passing electrical current through a portion of the NFT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Michael Allen Seigler, Mark William Covington
  • Patent number: 8824107
    Abstract: A magnetic element may generally be directed to data bit sensing in various data storage environments. An example magnetic element may be configured with at least a magnetic stack contacting a magnetic shield having a current constriction feature configured to transition current from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation proximal an air bearing surface (ABS).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Mark William Covington