TDK researchers have achieved an areal density record of 803Gbit/sq in potentially extending the life of current read/write head technology. The higher the areal density the more data can be packed onto a disk drive. According to reports,TDK hard disk drive (HDD) read/write heads boffins used a disk platter from Showa Denko K K based on perpendicular magnetic recording with discrete track recording (DTR) superimposed on top of it. The TMR (Tunneling Magneto-Resistance) read/write head had its magneto-resistance uprated by more than 80 per cent with the TMR element"s bond resistance kept low.
Heads need to shrink to cope with the narrower tracks and smaller bit sizes on HDD platters as areal densities increase. As they become smaller the electrical resistance of the TMR element increases, and this makes reading the bits harder.