A Fast and Accurate Method for Measuring Adjacent-Track Erasure

Abstract

This paper reports on a novel spin-stand method to measure adjacent-track erasure (ATE). The method divides a track into multiple sectors and makes use of the built-in servo system to ensure a highly accurate, amplitude-based measurement. By arranging subtracks uniformly across the range of interest around a center track, a quasi-continuous, detailed ATE profile can be obtained. We discuss the various features of this profile and how they depend on such parameters as skew angle, write current, frequency, and flying height. We then compare the ATE performance of state-of-the-art longitudinal and perpendicular recording components under realistic test conditions, such as may be used for a 250 GB/platter 95 mm desktop drive. We show that the perpendicular head and media compare favorably to longitudinal ones even though the track width is much narrower.