Read channels for patterned media

Patterned media may alleviate thermal decay and transition noise limits on the horizon for conventional continuous film media. A system analysis of oriented patterned media for magnetic recording is presented. Gbit/sec read channels for vertical and horizontal easy axis patterned media are analyzed at 100 Gb/in/sup 2/. Encouraging bit error rates of 10/sup -9/ are predicted by channel simulation using recording physics read pulses and electronic and patterning lithography noise.