Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of Discrete Track Recording Technology

High areal density recording requires advancement in both linear density and track density. In order to resolve the side-writing issue and the edge noise reading issue associated with high track density, discrete track recording (DTR) technology was proposed by some researchers recently. While the DTR technology offers many advantages, there are difficulties yet to be overcome. With the DTR media configuration proposed by Wachenschwanz, et al. (2005), slider flyability becomes more challenging due to the land-groove structure. In addition, the discrete nature of the DTR makes the magnetic write width (MWW) narrower than its continuous counterpart (continuous track recording, CTR), resulting in lower signal amplitude. Therefore, it is the objective of this paper to evaluate the performance of DTR technology. Both tribological performance and electric performance were evaluated.