Investigation of particulate media with an ultra-thin magnetic layer suitable for MR heads on a rotating drum

To improve recording density and data transfer rate, we investigated the electromagnetic characteristics of the combination of the MP with an ultra-thin magnetic layer (U-MP) and MR head on a rotating drum. The magnetic layer thickness was reduced to 40-90 nm, and the magnetic particles volume was one-third of conventional ones. Reproduced output of the U-MP/MR combination was at least ten times higher than that of the combination of a conventional MP and MIG head. The areal recording density was estimated to be 6 times as large as that of the conventional MP/MIG combination.