In the data-storage industry, disk drives are measured by their storage or areal-density growth, which is a product of the track and bit density (tpi and bpi). That annual recording growth rate has transitioned over the past decade from 60% per year to nearly 100% per year, toward a recording density target of up to 100 Gb/in~2. Track density has been of particular interest lately. In its most recent density demonstration of 36 Gb/in~2, Read-Rite pushed track density, which is dependent on pole width dimensions, to 70,400 tpi. For GMR head manufacturers to ensure high yield for ever-narrowing pole width heads, increased process control and improved metrology and inspection techniques are absolutely required.
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