The magnetic recording industry is beginning the transition to the next generation of technology -perpendicular recording. Accompanying the magnetic recording benefits will be significant media materials challenges to increase the recording capability while dealing with corrosion and manufacturing issues. Perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) has been recognized for many years as having the potential to extend recording densities beyond the capabilities of longitudinal recording. Iwasaki pointed out the benefit perpendicular recording would have on extending linear density capabilities[1]. Demagnetization fields that broaden the transition in longitudinal recording and limit transition widths and thus linear densities, are not present in PMR. This benefit is seen in the first PMR product offerings, where the track densities have only marginally increased but the linear densities have increased by 20% over current longitudinal designs. Fig. 1 shows an image of a high density perpendicular recording using the MRM technique [2]. At 900 kfci, the bits are well defined.
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