Magnetic and recording characterization of Ba-ferrite particulate rigid disk media

Orinted Ba-ferrite (BF) particulate media exhibit very good high density recording characteristics, as a result of very narrow switching fields and very square remanence loops. Until recently, however, the very smooth BF platelets employed in these coatings had a strong tendency to stack, thus increasing media noise. Some of the latest BF pigments incorporate surface treatments which greatly facilitate their dispersion, eliminate stacking, and greatly reduce media noise. In this study, the authors report on the magnetic and recording properties of the longitudinally oriented 95 mm BF rigid disks utilizing the surface-treated BF particles and exhibiting very low media noise spectra, compared with previous BF and current state-of-the-art thin film (TF) rigid disk media