Patterned magnetic recording media

Continuing increases in the areal density of hard disk drives will be limit ed by thermal instability of the thin film medium. Patterned media, in whic h data are stored in an array of single-domain magnetic particles, have bee n suggested as a means to overcome this limitation and to enable recording densities of up to 150 Gbit cm(-2) (1 Tbit inch(-2)) to be achieved. Howeve r, the implementation of patterned media requires fabrication of sub-50-nm features over large areas and the design of recording systems that differ s ubstantially from those used in conventional hard drives. This review descr ibes patterned media, including the fabrication of arrays of small magnetic particles and their magnetic properties., such as domain structure, revers al mechanisms, thermal stability, and interactions. The practical implement ation of patterned media recording schemes is assessed.