More than 1 Gb/in2 recording on obliquely oriented thin film tape

We discuss the possibility of attaining more than 1 Gb/in² recording in helical scanning tape storage system based on obliquely oriented metal evaporated tapes. A demonstration of 1 Gb/in² recording using an inductive MIG type head is described. Other experimental results show that the obliquely oriented Co-O tapes are endowed with recording resolution potential beyond several Gb/in², but playback signal-to-noise challenges still remain. Applying more sensitive magneto-resistive heads in the helical scanning tape system requires significant innovation in the system to overcome crucial issues of contact recording as well as re-optimization of the magnetic properties of the tape.