TDK shows prototype of next-generation HDD read/write heads using lasers

At this years CEATEC in Japan, TDK will provide details about their latest advancements in HDD read/write heads. These are widely believed to be the next bottleneck when improving storage density on hard disks; one of the problems when increasing the amount of data stored on a HDD platter is heat fluctuation; when magnetic storage media heat up the data stored is more likely to be erased.

This can be overcome by using media with a higher coercive strength; this makes them less susceptible to heat fluctuation, but increases the strength of the magnetic field required to write data to the drive. As storage densities increase, the likelyhood of overwriting/erasing nearby disk sectors when writing data increases with it.

The read/write heads TDK is working on overcome this limitation by temporarily heating up the disk at the exact place data is to be written; by heating it writing data becomes easier. This allows the use of media with a higher coercive field strength of 16kOe, compared to about 5kOe for existing products.

The recording surface is heated using a small later integrated into the HGA (Head Ginbal Assembly).

TDK has a prototype working with 7.200 rpm speeds, and expects the technology to improve in time to reach densities of up to 1 terabit per square inch in 2011 to 2012. That means about double the storage density of current-generation drives, enabling capacities of up to 4 TB for a 3.5 inch drive.

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