Patterned Media and Energy Assisted Recording Study by Drag Tester

A static drag tester was developed for characterization and read/write of patterned and continuous magnetic disk media. To enable write synchronization for patterned media application, a scheme for write synchronization was designed and implemented. The results for synchronized writing of patterned bits using a read-while-write approach are presented and they indicate that read-while-write is a viable approach for flexible written-in error tests at drag tester level. Besides application for pattern media, a method suitable for study of energy assisted media by drag tester was also explored. The results show that the required switching field reduced as the temperature of the recording medium was increased. The drag tester is thus shown to be a flexible and valuable platform for the study of future magnetic recording media.