THOMAS ROBERT CRAWFORD
Pilots at Gina Dr, Pittsburgh, PA

6954331, Oct 11, 2005

Jun 26, 2002

10/180151

Thomas McLendon Crawford - Pittsburgh PA, US
Mark William Covington - Pittsburgh PA, US
Gregory John Parker - Warrendale PA, US

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B005/17, G11B005/127

360123, 360125

The present invention provides magnetic recording heads which utilize higher order excitations of dynamic magnetization to increase frequency without the necessity of biasing the write yoke. In accordance with the present invention, the size and placement of current-carrying microstrip waveguide(s) and write pole(s) are controlled in order to generate spin wave write modes. During writing operations, the magnetization is driven into higher order spatial spin wave modes.

6903891, Jun 7, 2005

Nov 24, 2003

10/720872

Thomas McLendon Crawford - Pittsburgh PA, US
Mark William Covington - Pittsburgh PA, US
Thomas William Clinton - Pittsburgh PA, US

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B005/09

360 46, 360 68, 360 61, 360 55

A write driver for use with a magnetic recording head includes a photoconductive switch that is positioned adjacent a magnetic recording head for switching current waveforms. Both light and a DC voltage are applied to the photoconductive switch to switch the applied current waveforms. The write driver further includes means for writing to a storage medium in response to current waveforms switched by the photoconductive switch. The write driver may also include a suspension that supports at least one photoconductive switch, DC conductors for supplying a DC voltage, means for supplying light, and recording head means for writing to a storage medium.

6785092, Aug 31, 2004

May 21, 2002

10/153129

Mark William Covington - Pittsburgh PA
Thomas McLendon Crawford - Pittsburgh PA
Gregory John Parker - Warrendale PA
Petrus Antonius Van der Heijden - Cranberry Township PA

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B 5127

360126, 360119

A write head for writing information bits to magnetic storage media includes a first write pole for producing a first magnetic field in a first direction and a second write pole for producing a second magnetic field such that the combined field from the two poles lies either substantially along the first direction or in a second direction that is substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The second write pole includes a free layer having magnetization controlled by spin transfer torque, and a first spacer positioned between the free layer and the first write pole. The write head can further include a pinned layer and a second spacer positioned between the pinned layer and the free layer. A disc drive that includes the write head and a method of writing to magnetic storage media that utilizes the write head are also included.

6717770, Apr 6, 2004

Mar 23, 2001

09/815488

Thomas McLendon Crawford - Pittsburgh PA

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B 5127

360125

A recording head for use with magnetic storage medium applies a magnetic field at a 90-degree angle to the orientation of the magnetizations within the individual domain of the storage medium. This magnetic field results in rotation of the magnetization to approximately 90-degrees from its initial and its final orientation. From this position, a second magnetic field is capable of orienting the magnetization in the desired direction to record the desired bit. A simplified manufacturing process, wherein both of the opposing write poles and their connecting yoke are formed as a single layer during a single deposition or plating process, may be used to manufacture such a recording head.

6693768, Feb 17, 2004

Mar 15, 2001

09/809118

Billy Wayne Crue - Pittsburgh PA
Sakhrat Khizroev - Pittsburgh PA
Dmitri Litvinov - Pittsburgh PA
Thomas McLendon Crawford - Pittsburgh PA

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B 5147

360126

A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic storage media includes a flux focusing main pole. The main pole includes a layer of material having a high magnetic moment, and a second layer of material having a low magnetic moment. The low moment material is tapered towards the main poles tip, so that all magnetic flux is channeled into the high moment material before writing to the magnetic storage medium.

6798624, Sep 28, 2004

Mar 14, 2002

10/097280

Mark W. Covington - Pittsburgh PA
Thomas M. Crawford - Pittsburgh PA

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B 539

3603241, 3603242

A magnetization sensor for sensing write field characteristic of a perpendicular or longitudinal recording head such as may be used with a disc drive, and a method of manufacture therefor are disclosed. The sensor can be manufactured concurrently with the write head and incorporated therein. The magnetization sensor comprises a non-magnetic layer separating a hard magnetic layer and a soft magnetic layer, with electrical leads to provide a biasing and sensing current. The magnetization sensor can be either a giant magnetoresistive element or a tunneling magnetoresistive element, depending upon the non-magnetic layer used in the construction of the device.

6985318, Jan 10, 2006

Jun 3, 2003

10/454094

Thomas W. Clinton - Pittsburgh PA, US
Thomas M. Crawford - Pittsburgh PA, US

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B 5/09

360 46, 360 55

A magnetic recording process generally including the steps of determining an initial magnetization direction of a magnetic recording medium, and selectively applying a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium along an axis substantially perpendicular to an axis of the initial magnetization direction of the recording medium. The magnetic field is selectively applied for a period of time sufficient to switch the magnetization of the magnetic recording medium from its initial magnetization direction to a final magnetization direction substantially anti-parallel to the initial magnetization direction. Typically, the initial and final magnetization directions will be along an easy axis of magnetization of the magnetic recording medium.

2004006, Apr 1, 2004

Sep 29, 2003

10/674657

Billy Crue - Pittsburgh PA, US
Sakhrat Khizroev - Coral Gables FL, US
Dmitri Litvinov - Pittsburgh PA, US
Thomas Crawford - Pittsburgh PA, US

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B005/147

360/126000, 360/317000, 029/603070, 029/603010

A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic storage media includes a flux focusing main pole. The main pole includes a layer of material having a high magnetic moment, and a second layer of material having a low magnetic moment. The low moment material is tapered towards the main pole's tip, so that all magnetic flux is channeled into the high moment material before writing to the magnetic storage medium.

7099121, Aug 29, 2006

May 21, 2003

10/442460

Gregory John Parker - Warrendale PA, US
Thomas McLendon Crawford - Pittsburgh PA, US
Robert Earl Rottmayer - Wexford PA, US
Petrus Antonius van der Heijden - Cranberry Township PA, US
Sharat Batra - Wexford PA, US

Seagate Technology LLC - Scotts Valley CA

G11B 5/39, G11B 5/127

360317, 360125

A perpendicular magnetic recording head comprises a write pole having a pole tip adjacent to an air bearing surface, a return pole, a pedestal for magnetically coupling the write pole to the return pole, a coil for inducing magnetic flux in the write pole, and a shield for coupling magnetic flux from the coil to the return pole. Disc drives that include such recording heads are also provided.