Head sensitivity function determined from recording measurements

The authors present a novel approach to measuring the response of a recording head used with a hard disk to form a recording system. The technique can be implemented on any test stand used for recording measurements using standard instrumentation with minor modifications to the write electronics. The resolution across the track width is about 0.5 μm, and the head-media separation is controlled in the usual way by the design of the air-bearing surface and the velocity of the disk. Data are given for a thin-film head to illustrate the utility of the technique