Each of the components of the channel front-end (i.e., medium, heads, inter
connects, and read/write electronics), can limit the data rate. In the read
path, the head-to-electronics suspension interconnect forms the major bott
leneck. The skin-effect losses, multi-mode propagation effects and reflecti
ons limit the maximum achievable data rate. in the write path, the reflecti
ons along the suspension interconnect causing long settling times and also
the relatively slow response of the ferro-magnetics of the write-head limit
the data rate, Modeling shows that the overall write path is data rate lim
ited by settling times that are too long, leading to uncorrectable timing d
istortion in the location of the one but nearest neighbor transitions.