Patents by Inventor Patrick M. Braganca

Patrick M. Braganca 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: 8164861
    Abstract: A spin torque magnetoresistive sensor having a very small gap thickness. The sensor operates by measuring the change in frequency of a spin torque induced magnetic oscillation in magnetic layers of the sensor to detect the presence of a magnetic field. The sensor includes a pair of free magnetic layers that are antiparallel coupled by a thin non-magnetic coupling layer there-between. The sensor does not include a pinned layer structure nor an associated AFM pinning layer, which allows the sensor to be constructed much thinner than prior art sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Patrick M. Braganca, Bruce A. Gurney
  • Publication number: 20110141629
    Abstract: A spin torque magnetoresistive sensor having a very small gap thickness. The sensor operates by measuring the change in frequency of a spin torque induced magnetic oscillation in magnetic layers of the sensor to detect the presence of a magnetic field. The sensor includes a pair of free magnetic layers that are antiparallel coupled by a thin non-magnetic coupling layer there-between. The sensor does not include a pinned layer structure nor an associated AFM pinning layer, which allows the sensor to be constructed much thinner than prior art sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Inventors: Patrick M. Braganca, Bruce A. Gurney
  • Publication number: 20110007431
    Abstract: A spin torque oscillator device having a magnetic free layer with a magnetic anisotropy that has a component that is oriented perpendicular to a direction of an applied magnetic field. The spin torque oscillator device includes a magnetic reference layer, a magnetic free layer and a non-magnetic layer sandwiched there-between. A component of the magnetic anisotropy of the free layer can be oriented perpendicular to a magnetization of the reference layer, and this orientation relative to the magnetization of the reference layer can be either in lieu of or in addition to its orientation relative to the applied magnetic field. The magnetic anisotropy cants the magnetization of the free layer which would otherwise be oriented antiparallel with the magnetization of the reference layer. The magnetic anisotropy in the free layer improves performance of the spin torque sensor by reducing noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Inventors: Patrick M. Braganca, Bruce A. Gurney