Magnetic force microscopy evaluation of written track distortions induced by media stray fields

The precise examination of the written track distortions induced by stray fields from media can help in understanding the magnetic recording process in many ways so as to optimize recording components/subsystem performance. In this work, the edge distortion, amplitude asymmetry, and transition shift of written tracks, which are induced by the media magnetostatic field, are characterized using the magnetic force microscope via a special analysis procedure. The written track distortions on different media erasure backgrounds and track edge environments were evaluated with the measurement accuracy as low as +/-2 nm. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.