Effects of transition curvature on perpendicular magnetic recording performance

The effect of magnetic transition curvature has been studied for a perpendicular recording system. The curvature of the medium transitions is varied in a controlled manner by altering the write poles using a focused ion beam. Tracks are written using these write heads and are characterized with a magnetic force microscope, which demonstrates the ability to manipulate transition shape and even correct the curvature. The effect of transition curvature on the perpendicular recording performance is characterized by spinstand measurements and bit error rate simulations. These results show a significant performance loss, demonstrating that transition curvature degrades perpendicular recording performance.