Recording and reversal properties of nanofabricated magnetic islands

Patterned media are a promising approach for future high density magnetic recording. In order to reliably address individual bits, a recording head will be required to reverse a selected island without disturbing neighboring islands. This leads to a requirement for islands with a narrow switching field distribution. We review the switching and recording properties of patterned granular CoPtCr-based films, and present results on the reversal properties of topographically patterned Co/Pd multilayer films, with particular emphasis on switching field distributions. Finally, the use of islands with multiple storage layers is demonstrated as a potential route to even higher storage density without the need for smaller, lithographically defined islands. © 2005 IEEE.