Track Misregistration Research Articles

Track Mis-Registration Estimator Based on K-Means Algorithm for Bit-Patterned Media Recording

Bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) has been considered among the key technologies to extend recording densities to 1 Tb/in2 and beyond. However, the BPMR system encounters the challenges of two-dimensional intersymbol interference and track mis-registration (TMR). In this article, we propose a TMR estimator based on the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -means algorithm for estimating the TMR levels and preventing the performance degradation of the BPMR system. The TMR estimator calculates the distances between the centroid of the readback signal and predetermined centroids according to the TMR level. The equalizer coefficients and partial response target are adjusted to the corresponding TMR level. At a bit error rate of 10−3 and a TMR of 10%, the proposed detection scheme performs better by approximately 1 dB in comparison with the conventional detection.

Convolutional Neural Network-Based Media Noise Prediction and Equalization for TDMR Turbo-Detection With Write/Read TMR

This article considers a turbo-detection system that includes a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based equalizer, a Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv (BCJR) trellis detector, a CNN-based media noise predictor (MNP), and a low-density parity-check (LDPC) channel decoder for two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) in the presence of track misregistration (TMR). The input readings are passed to a 2-D partial response (PR) equalizer, which is either linear or CNN-based. The equalized waveforms are inputs to a 2-D BCJR detector, which generates log-likelihood-ratio (LLR) outputs. The CNN MNP is provided with BCJR LLRs to estimate signal-dependent media noise samples and feed them back to the BCJR. A second pass through the BCJR produces LLRs, which are decoded by an LDPC decoder; achieved areal density (AD) is computed from the LDPC code rate. Spatially varying read- and write-TMR models are developed. We investigate the performance of the proposed system on simulated TDMR readback waveforms generated by grain-switching probabilistic (GSP) simulations. We have two types of GSP datasets. Dataset #1 includes two 10 nm bit length (BL) datasets with 18 and 24 nm track pitch (TP). Dataset #2 has 11 nm BL and 15 nm TP. The comparison baseline is a 1-D BCJR detector with pattern-dependent noise prediction (PDNP) and soft intertrack interference (ITI) subtraction, referred to as 1-D PDNP with LLR exchange. The write-TMR and read-TMR are modeled as cross-track-independent downtrack-correlated random processes. In the presence of joint write- and read-TMR, the proposed turbo-detection system achieves 8.34% and 0.70% AD gain over 1-D PDNP with LLR exchange for TP 18 and 24 nm dataset #1, respectively, and is more robust to TMR compared to the baseline.

Performance of staggered bit island spacing adjustment for a SRTR BPMR system

One of the key problems facing the designer of data storage devices is how to handle the exponential rise in demand for information storage. To enhance the storage capacity of bit-patterned magnetic recording (BPMR) that stores one data bit in a single magnetic island, the spacing among bit islands, i.e., bit period and track pitch, must be reduced. However, the interference effects from both the across- and along-track directions are unavoidably increased, which leads to performance degradation. This paper proposes to utilize the proper spacing arrangement of magnetic islands for a single-reader two-track reading scheme to increase the staggered BPMR system’s storage capacity. We also study how the system performs for different distances between magnetic islands when track misregistration and media noise are present. Simulation results reveal that the staggered BPMR system with an appropriate magnetic island spacing can provide better performance than the traditional island placement, where the spacing between bit islands in across- and along-track directions is same.

Track Misregistration Mitigation Using CNN-Based Method on Single-Reader/Two-Track Reading BPMR Systems

One of the problems that cause a decrease in the performance of the ultra-high bit-patterned magnetic recording (BPMR) system is track misregistration (TMR). Since the gap between data tracks is extremely narrow, it easily affects keeping the reader in the desired position. Therefore, this paper proposes the track misregistration mitigation included the estimation and correction techniques on single-reader/two-track reading (SRTR) BPMR using only a readback signal. The TMR estimation technique uses the convolutional neural network (CNN) to estimate the TMR level by the histograms of the readback signal enabling minimization of the complexity of the CNN structure and amount of training time. The estimated TMR levels obtained from the proposed CNN-histogram-based method will then be utilized to detect the estimated recorded bit by the CNN-based data detector. The simulation shows that our proposed system provides better TMR prediction accuracy even though the system has to face higher media noise. Furthermore, the CNN-based data detectors perform superior to the partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) based data detector, especially in strong electronic noise situations and the severe imperfection of recording media.

Control Scheme of RRO Compensation for Track Mis-registration in HDDs

Hard disk drives (HDDs) which can store of large amount of digital data are supporting information society. To read/write the digital data on the disk, the magnetic head must be controlled precisely. The data is recorded as concentric orbits called as tracks on the disk. In the controller design, servo engineer must evaluate track mis-registration (TMR) for the reliability. The TMR is one of criteria of relative positioning accuracy for the tracks for risk assessment of data incorrectly writing. The risk means that the magnetic heads write on the different track from the target track. The relative positioning accuracy in the tracks should be improved to decrease the risk. In this paper, we have proposed a control scheme to compensate of repeatable runout (RRO) for the TMR. In the proposed control system, we distinguished the RRO by “synchronous RRO” and “asynchronous RRO”. Two types of RROs are compensated by using an adaptive feedforward cancellation (AFC). The AFC is designed to generate the suitable compensation signal for each type of RRO, and the proposed control system improves the relative positioning accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme has been verified by using a HDD benchmark model developed by IEEJ Industry Applications Society.

Improving Serial Detection Using MAP Algorithm for Bit-Patterned Media Recording

Bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) is a promising technology for increasing the areal density (AD) of magnetic data storage systems. In BPMR, the non-magnetic zone is reduced to increase AD, which causes serious problems such as two-dimensional (2D) interference and track mis-registration (TMR). Therefore, in previous studies, a serial detection, which exploits the Viterbi algorithm (VA), was proposed to combat 2D interference. Because the VA lacks prior information from the inner detector to the outer detector, in this study, we use the maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithm to supply prior information from the inner detector to the outer detector. Simulation results show that the proposed model can improve the bit error ratio (BER) performance of serial detection, especially in cases where the BPMR suffers from TMR effects.

Iterative Multihead Multitrack Detection Scheme for Bit-Patterned Media Recording

An iterative multi-head multi-track detection scheme for bit patterned media recording is proposed in this paper. The proposed scheme employs two iterative strategies with the multi-head multi-track detection where three tracks are simultaneously processed to accurately estimate the channel with TMR and effectively detect the data by using inter-track interference (ITI) information with high reliability. The first outer iteration aims to compensate for the track misregistration (TMR) effect, and the second inner iteration aims to improve the reliability of the data. In outer iteration, the TMR effect is compensated by modifying the generalized partial response (GPR) target to a channel that reflects the TMR estimated by a TMR estimator using expectation and maximization algorithm. In inner iteration, iterative equalization and decoding (IED) is conducted between the two-dimensional partial response maximum likelihood detector and the low-density parity check decoder based on the revised GPR target. Since each track has different channel performance according to the amount of ITI information in the multi-track detection, we design the GPR target and the code rate separately for each track to maximize the overall channel performance. The bit error rate performances of the proposed IED scheme are compared with the conventional IED scheme when areal density is <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2 Tb/in^{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> . Simulation results show that the proposed IED scheme has more than 2dB gains compared with the conventional IED scheme for 30 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\%$</tex-math></inline-formula> TMR.

Modified Viterbi Algorithm with Feedback Using a Two-Dimensional 3-Way Generalized Partial Response Target for Bit-Patterned Media Recording Systems

The ever-increasing demand for data in recent times has led to the emergence of big data and cloud data. The growth in these fields has necessitated that data be centrally stored in data centers. To meet the need for large-scale storage systems at data centers, innovative technology such as bit-pattern media recording (BPMR) has been developed. With BPMR technology, we are able to achieve significant improvements in high areal density (AD) of magnetic data storage systems. However, two-dimensional (2D) interference is a common issue faced with high AD. Intersymbol interference and intertrack interference occur when the distance between the islands is decreased in the down-track and cross-track, respectively. 2D interference adversely affects the performance of BPMR. In this paper, we propose an improved modified Viterbi algorithm (MVA) exploiting a feedback and a new 2D three-way form of a generalized partial response (GPR) target. The proposed MVA with feedback is superior to the previous MVA by eliminating intertrack interference (ITI) more effectively. With the three-way GPR target, the proposed algorithm achieves more stable performance compared to the previous detection algorithms for the track misregistration effect.

Signal Detection Using Extrinsic Information From Neural Networks for Bit-Patterned Media Recording

To meet the demand for storing large amounts of data, there has been a stronger focus on increasing the recording density of a hard disk drive (HDD). While conventional HDD suffers from thermal effect and superparamagnetic limit, bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) has the potential to resolve these problems and is capable of increasing areal density (AD) beyond 1 terabit per square inch. To increase the AD of BPMR, the distance between islands in both the down- and cross-track directions must be reduced. Consequently, the decreased bit period and track pitch induce more intersymbol interference (ISI) and intertrack interference (ITI), which degrade the bit error rate (BER) performance. In this study, extrinsic information obtained from a multilayer perceptron (MLP) equalizer is used as a priori information in a partial response maximum-likelihood (PRML) detector to improve the detection performance of BPMR. The proposed detection scheme shows better performance compared to both the MLP equalizer and conventional PRML alone. In addition, it was found that the proposed detector provides improved performance when track misregistration (TMR) occurs.

Effective Generalized Partial Response Target and Serial Detector for Two-Dimensional Bit-Patterned Media Recording Channel Including Track Mis-Registration

With the development of 5G technology, programs are gradually moving to cloud services. This leads to an increasing demand for storage. In the field of high-density data storage, bit-pattern media recording (BPMR) is considered a promising approach, as it can expand the data density to 4 Tb/in2. However, in high-density BPMR, bits or magnetic islands are very close to each other, leading to significant intertrack interference (ITI) from the cross-track direction and intersymbol interference (ISI) from the down-track direction. To minimize two-dimensional interference, including ITI and ISI, the serial detector method has been highly effective. However, in this method, the signal at the output of the first decoder is still a hard output. Therefore, we suggest methods to convert the output of the first detector into a soft output. Additionally, we have developed a new form of generalized partial response target to overcome the track mis-registration. The results show that our proposed methods apparently improve bit error rate performance.

An iterative ITI cancellation method for multi-head multi-track bit-patterned magnetic recording systems

Bit-Patterned Magnetic Recording (BPMR) is one of the emerging data storage technologies, which promises an Areal Density (AD) of about 4 Tb/in2. However, a major problem practically encountered in a BPMR system is Inter-Track Interference (ITI) that can deteriorate the overall system performance, especially at high ADs. This paper proposes an iterative ITI cancellation method for an m-head m-track BPMR system, which uses m heads to read m adjacent tracks and decodes them simultaneously. To cancel the ITI, we subtract the weighted readback signals of adjacent tracks, acting as the ITI signals, from the readback signal of the target track, before passing the refined readback signal to a turbo decoder. Then, the decoded data will be employed to reconstruct the ITI signal for the next turbo iteration. Experimental results indicate that the proposed system performs better than the conventional system that uses one head to read one data track. Furthermore, we also find out that the proposed system is more robust to media noise and track misregistration than the conventional system.

Optimal Array-Reader and Track Misregistration Mitigation Method in a Three-Reader/Four-Track Reading Bit-Patterned Magnetic Recording System

Track misregistration (TMR) is one of several problems in ultrahigh areal density bit-patterned magnetic recording (BPMR) systems, in which the distances between bit-islands are very narrow in both cross-track and down-track directions. Unfortunately, distance reduction leads to intersymbol interference and intertrack interference (ITI) effects, which cause system performance degradation. To deal with these effects, we develop the optimal position of an array-reader based on a three-reader/four-track reading BPMR system that is combined with a simple two-dimensional rate-3/4 modulation code and ITI subtraction technique, which delivers the best avoidance of the ITI effect from sidetracks. We model TMR estimation and mitigation methods using readback signals that are obtained from the optimal array-readers to improve bit error rate (BER) performance. The variance-ratio of these readback signals is used to estimating the TMR levels, whereas a pair of the target's and equalizer's coefficients, accordingly designed to the estimated TMR levels, is adopted for mitigating the TMR effect. Simulation results show that our methods provide a high TMR estimation accuracy and gain a superior BER performance compared with the recording system without these techniques under the same user density.

A Novel ITI Suppression Technique for Coded Dual-Track Dual-Head Bit-Patterned Magnetic Recording Systems

Generally, an intertrack interference (ITI) is a critical problem in bit-patterned magnetic recording (BPMR) systems that can attain an areal density (AD) up to 4 Tb/in <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . Unavoidably, at high ADs, a very narrow track width must be employed, leading to severe ITI and unacceptable system performance. To tackle the ITI; therefore, this article introduces a novel ITI suppression technique for coded dual-track dual-head (DTDH) BPMR systems. At the first turbo iteration, the weighted readback signal of the adjacent track served as an estimated ITI signal is utilized for subtracting from the target readback signal to subside the ITI effect, before passing the refined readback signal to a turbo equalizer. Nonetheless, for the second turbo iteration onwards, the estimated ITI signal generated by the soft information obtained from a decoder at each turbo iteration will be then employed to subtract from the target readback signal during the turbo decoding process. Computer simulation results demonstrate that the proposed system can provide better performance than the DTDH system using a hard ITI suppression technique as well as the conventional system using one read head to decode one data track for all ADs, because the proposed technique can estimate the ITI signal well. Furthermore, when considering the recording system under the effects of media noise and track mis-registration, we also found that the proposed system is more robust than other systems.

Multitrack Detection With Two-Dimensional Hybrid Equalizer for High-Density Bit-Patterned Media Recording

Bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) is one of the most promising candidates to further increase recording density beyond 1 Tb/in2. For high-density BPMR systems, severe intertrack interference (ITI) and media noise caused by decreased track pitch bring severe deterioration to the readback signals. To mitigate the impact of ITI and media noise on bit error rate (BER) performance, we developed a multitrack detection scheme with a two-dimensional (2-D) hybrid equalizer, which utilizes 2-D distinct equalizer coefficients corresponding to the different estimated ITI patterns. By analyzing the probability density distribution of the log likelihood ratio (LLR) output by the decoder, a LLR threshold is implemented to evaluate the reliability of estimated ITI patterns. Then, the 2-D variable equalizer trained with different ITI patterns is implemented for the reliably estimated ITI patterns; otherwise a 2-D fixed equalizer trained with a pseudorandom bit sequence is utilized. Hence, compared to the conventional 2-D fixed equalizer, the 2-D hybrid equalizer decreases the mean squared error of equalization with reduced error propagation risk. The simulation results indicate that the 2-D hybrid equalizer provides increased signal-to-noise ratio gains compared to the 2-D fixed equalizer when the media noise and track misregistration become more severe.

A Detection Scheme With TMR Estimation Based on Multi-Layer Perceptrons for Bit Patterned Media Recording

Increasing areal density in bit patterned media recording systems increases the 2-D interference from the adjacent islands in the down-track and cross-track directions. Also, nonlinear effects due to the track mis-registration (TMR) and media noise become severe as the areal density increases and degrade the bit error rate (BER) performance. In this paper, we proposed a new detection scheme based on multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) to alleviate the nonlinear effects. Two MLPs are used in the proposed detection scheme and learn the channel with the nonlinear effects in the training procedure. One MLP is used for TMR estimation and the other MLP is used for data detection. The MLP-based TMR estimator estimates the TMR from the readback signals. Then, the MLP-based data detector equalizes the channel reflecting the estimated TMR and media noise and detects the data bit. Therefore, the detection scheme is robust to the effects of the TMR and media noise. The proposed detection scheme provides the improved BER performances compared to the conventional detection scheme using the 2-D equalizer filter, 1-D generalized partial response target, and Viterbi detector in the channel with the TMR and media noise.

Mitigating the Effects of Track Mis-Registration in Single-Reader/Two-Track Reading BPMR Systems

Bit-recording technologies that can provide areal densities (ADs) [patterned magnetic recording (BPMR) is expected to be one of the new magnetic ADs] of 1 Tera-bit per square inch or higher. To achieve these ADs, the space between tracks must be reduced, bringing them closer and closer together, leading to significant inter-track interference (ITI). Track mis-registration (TMR) or head offset can further degrade overall system performance. To mitigate the effects of ITI and TMR, we propose using a single-reader/two-track reading (SRTR) scheme together with an over-sampling technique on a staggered BPMR system. We also propose a TMR estimation technique based on a readback signal. Here, the readback signal is separated into two sequences, one odd and one even. Then, the energy ratio is calculated using these data sequences. The obtained relationship between the energy ratio and head offset can be utilized to predict the actual head offset occurrence in the reading process. Finally, a pairing of a monic constraint target and an equalizer that accordingly matches each estimated head offset level is adopted to deal with the TMR effect. The SRTR system can provide better bit-error-rate (BER) performance. Moreover, when TMR effects appear in the reading process, our proposed SRTR system with a TMR mitigation technique can yield better BER performance, especially at high head offset levels.

Skew-Aware Joint Multi-Track Equalization for Array Reader-Based Interlaced Magnetic Recording

Interlaced magnetic recording (IMR) enhanced with an array reader, named array reader-based IMR (ARIMR), has been introduced recently showing a tangible areal density capability gain over the conventional recording system. Joint read equalization is one of the key enablers to improve the bit-error-rate performance of the readback signals, which even shows potential for on-line processing of joint multi-track retrievals. However, the performance gain of ARIMR may not be guaranteed for the entire disk due to wide variations of the cross-track separation (CTS) between read sensors by the skew of the array and recording tracks. In order to mitigate the undesired skew effect in ARIMR, a novel joint multi-track equalization scheme is proposed in this paper with customized allocation of the array reader depending on the skew as well as the joint track center. Furthermore, individual readers in the array are not necessarily identical and their performance difference should be accounted for together with CTS for reader allocations. Therefore, the effective joint center of the target tracks is estimated in the proposed study to allocate the array reader for jointly accessing multiple tracks in ARIMR, even with undesired track mis-registration offsets. For performance evaluation, the proposed joint equalization with effective cross-track center allocation scheme is investigated by numerical ARIMR channel simulations with the micro-pixelated magnetic channel model. In the evaluation, varying CTS conditions are simulated to account for the skew impacts on ARIMR reading dual tracks and the corresponding effective cross-track center for placing the reader. Overall, off-track capability widths common for the two neighboring tracks can be evaluated for a broad range of array readers, which shows the feasibility of joint reading of dual tracks by ARIMR.

ATI Considerations in Helium-Filled Hard Disk Drives

Recent advances in hard disk drive mechanics, specifically the successful introduction of helium-filled enclosures, have enabled significant increases in drive capacity. The track mis-registration characteristics of helium-filled enclosures are significantly improved compared with air-filled enclosures. We discuss how these changes in mechanical capability alter the factors limiting areal density for future products and discuss how further improvements in capacity will be realized.

Mitigation of TMR Using Energy Ratio and Bit-Flipping Techniques in Multitrack Multihead BPMR Systems

Track misregistration (TMR) in ultra-high density bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) is one of the crucial problems, because it can severely degrade the overall system performance. In practical, TMR can be detected and adjusted by a servo control loop system. However, this paper proposes to utilize multiple readback signals obtained from the optimized positioning of the two side read head closer to the main read head to improve the TMR prediction process in a multitrack multi-head BPMR system with position jitter noise. In addition, we also propose the soft-information exchange and the bit-flipping techniques for the multitrack data detection, so as to improve the bit-error rate (BER) performance of all three data tracks simultaneously. Simulation results indicate that the proposed system is superior to the conventional system, especially, when the amount of TMR and position jitter is high. Furthermore, we also found that the upper and lower read heads, which are moved closer to the center track by 25% of a track pitch, will provide the best BER performance with and without position jitter noise.

High-Density Shingled Heat-Assisted Recording Using Bit-Patterned Media Subject to Track Misregistration

Shingled recording employing bit-patterned media when used in conjunction with heat-assisted magnetic recording can significantly enhance the recording density. This paper investigates writing of dots that are not directly under the laser pulse. Such a shifted scheme of writing allows higher densities when used with shingled recording. A further increase in the recording density can be obtained by using composite structures, comprising a superparamagnetic writing layer, and a (doped) FePt storage layer. Effect of head velocity, Curie temperature variation, track mis-registration, and dot position jitter on the standard deviation of switching distribution is studied to evaluate the designs that offer data densities as high as ~16 Tbpsi.