ROADMAP FOR 10 GBIT/IN2 MEDIA - CHALLENGES

The history of rigid disk magnetic recording shows a sustained growth in areal density of a factor of ten per decade for forty years. Recent technology demonstrations by IBM and Hitachi promise a continuation of that growth rate for the next ten years. This paper applies informed speculation to the question of what advances in media technology will be necessary to continue the trend to 10 Gb/in2. We apply a read/write model to examining the media properties required for this density in a practical drive application. We also consider the trends in media microstructure and noise, some physical limitations of present materials and a brief look at candidate materials systems for 10 Gb/in2 recording. Some revolutionary changes in media technology appear to be necessary to support this recording density.