Thermally Assisted Magnetic Recording at 4 Tbit/in $^{2}$

Simulations of thermally assisted magnetic recording were carried out targeting an areal density of 4 Tbit/in². The effects of the heat spot radius, maximum temperature during recording, Curie temperature and thermal conductivity of the recording layer on the written tracks were investigated. Triple track squeeze simulations were used to determine the minimum track pitch. The target of 4 Tbit/in² may be realized if stringent conditions on the heat spot and thermal conductivity are met.