The correlation between the pole shape of a magnetic write head and the tra
ck-following accuracy has been investigated. To evaluate the effect of head
properties on head positioning, an analytical model for position signal ge
neration was developed. This model clarified the effect of the erase-band w
idth and the read track-width on the track-following accuracy by revealing
the position signal linearity. The investigation demonstrated that pole tri
mming of the write head improves head-positioning performance.