Magnetic recording beyond the first 100 years

Magnetic recording, beginning with Poulsen's experiments 100 years ago, is celebrating its centennial anniversary. After a spectacular growth during the past four decades it will achieve the celebrated goal of 10 Gbits/sq in by the end of this century. By incorporating a number of departures from conventional practice mostly in the media, the limitations of superparamagnetism can be pushed further out, and coupled with the power of spin valve sensors, the next goal of 100 Gbits/sq in should be reachable in a few years. Beyond that, arrays of oriented single domain nanoparticles can propel the technology to multi Tbits/sq in densities. Ultimately, electronically accessed three-dimensional memories may take over, and the exploitation of quantum effects may lead to storage and computation systems which challenge the limits of our imagination. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.