Demonstration and characterization of greater than 60 Gb/in/sup 2/ recording systems

We have successfully demonstrated longitudinal recording at areal densities greater than 60 Gb/in/sup 2/ at data rates as high as 160 Mbps (20 MB/s) and at a Bit-Aspect-Ratio (BAR) of 5.7, using merged inductive-write/spin-valve-read heads with microactuators on low noise thin film disks. The heads were fabricated with standard photolithography and wafer pole trimming used in currently available commercial products. At track densities of 60 KTPI and higher, traditional servoing mechanisms are not adequate. With the use of a microactuator, we can further improve the track density by 15%, the linear density by 10% and the areal density by more than 20%. Thus, using a microactuator with the 50 Gb/in/sup 2/ head/media combination, we have increased our areal density achievement up to 63.2 Gb/in/sup 2/.