Magnetic recording in patterned media at 5-10 Tb/in ²

In this paper, the feasibility of patterned media systems able to support areal densities of 5-10 Tb/in ² is examined. The systems considered used only a conventional write head, without additional electromagnetic devices. Despite the use of a shielded head and contact recording it was impossible to discriminate reliably between bits at 10 Tb/in ². Areal densities of around 5 Tb/in ² appear feasible, but only if geometrical and material parameter dispersions are minimized. Including such dispersions reduced the maximum areal density to around 4 Tb/in ².