Evaluation of read channel performance for perpendicular patterned media

Abstract

The use of patterned media is one of the proposed approaches for extending magnetic storage densities and delaying the problems imposed by the superparamagnetic limit. In this paper, we investigate the reliable recovery of data from patterned media with perpendicular anisotropy using a software tool developed to simulate the read channel. The bit error rate against signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance of various partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) channels is evaluated. It is shown that the PRML channels for perpendicular recording offer better performance than the conventional channels for longitudinal recording. In addition, simulations reveal that the use of run-length limited encoders and the existence of a soft magnetic underlayer contribute to an improved performance in terms of SNR. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.