Simulation of the off-track capability of a one terabit per square inch recording system

Abstract

We investigated the potential of extending conventional magnetic recording technology to a one terabit per square inch (Tb/in2) density using a simple model, focusing on the off-track capability of a hypothetical perpendicular recording system. Our simulation considered the medium's granular structure, head side reading, and side writing. However, as a first approximation, interactions between grains were neglected. We investigated the characteristics of both an isolated transition and a pseudorandom sequence. The signal-to-noise ratio is very low (around 10 dB) at such a density. Direct bit-by-bit simulation on 80 000 bits of a 1023-bit pseudorandom sequence yielded the bit-error rate (BER). By changing the squeeze position of the side track, a series of "bathtub" curves was calculated and thus, 747 curves at various BER thresholds were investigated. We also studied different detection schemes and the block failure rate after error-correction code.