Recording performance of the combination of magnetoresistive head and thin metal evaporated tape

Abstract

Thin metal evaporated (ME) tape with low remanence-thickness product (Mrδ), high coercivity (Hc) and low noise was designed to match a magnetoresistive (MR) head. This article focuses on the high density recording performance of a shielded MR head/thin ME tape media designed for use with an MR head. The PW50 measurement was adopted to certify that the depth of recording was restricted by magnetic layer thickness. Reduced second harmonic distortion at low density shows saturation-free operation of the MR head. Frequency domain measurements indicate drastically reduced ac erase noise level and higher output level at short wave length. High readback density (neglecting intertrack interference) of 1.07 Gbits/in2 with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) after equalization of 18.7 dB was attained for a FeNi (AMR) head and 1.29 Gbits/in.2 with SNR of 20.0 dB for a spin-valve (GMR) head. The performance of the MR head/thin ME tape system was compared to commercial ME tape and thin metal particulate tape in terms of noise characteristics, depth of recording, and SNR after equalization.