Michael V. Morelli

Analysis of signal-to-noise ratio impact in heat assisted magnetic recording under insufficient head field

In this work, we present a systematic modeling analysis of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) impact on recording under insufficient head field for heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). A typical head design in the absence of a medium soft underlayer is utilized in the modeling. The study shows that sufficient head field amplitude is critical for realization of expected HAMR recording performance. The strong correlation between recording time window and medium signal-to-noise ratio provides insightful understanding to medium and recording optimization when head field is not sufficiently high. The analysis is also performed with the inclusion of grain-to-grain Curie temperature (Tc) variation in the medium.