Dynamic orientation ratio in longitudinal recording media

Abstract

The origin of orientation ratio (OR) in longitudinal recording media has been controversial in the literature. In the past, the observation of a higher OR for thinner magnetic films has been attributed to stress or thermal effects. Our measurements, carried out over a larger range of time scales, confirm that the thermal effects play a major role in the observation of a higher OR for thinner magnetic films. We point out that the OR is dynamic and follows a ln(t) behavior at larger time scales (5–1000 s). Our studies indicate that a larger OR and a more dynamic behavior of OR will be observed when KuV/kBT values are smaller. We also propose that the slope of dynamic OR can be used to compare the recording performance of media indirectly.