Effects of the writing process and crosstalk on the timing accuracy of pulses in NRZ digital recording

The position at which a NRZ transition is recorded is dependent on the write current, the effect of increasing the current being to shift the recorded position beyond the trailing gap edge. The shift is more marked with a thick medium than a thin coating, and is worsened if the write head pole tips are approaching saturation. If the recording field changes magnitude when reversed, positive pulses become displaced relative to negative, and pulse pairing occurs. When recording different patterns on adjacent tracks, peak shifts can occur due to writing crosstalk aiding or opposing the head field and the shifts may well impose an upper limit to track density.     

Irreversible wall motion in inductive recording heads

The effect of signal-induced irreversible domain wall motion on the isolated transition response of recording heads is investigated. An experimental method is presented allowing differentiation between the effects caused by irreversible wall motion and reversible wall motion. The method, utilizing the injection of a small DC current into the head coil, can also be used to determine whether the irreversible motion in a thin-film head occurs in the first pole tip, the second pole tip, or the backgap. The transients observed result from signal-induced irreversible wall motion in the second pole tip. The largest isolated impulse variations occur after saturation of the yoke. In addition, it is found that Barkhausen transitions can occur at or near the top of the isolated impulse (even on its leading edge) as well as after the impulse has decayed, and not only on the trailing edge of the impulse as reported previously. Finally, the authors observe two Barkhausen-noise-free zones, the one at the leading edge being the largest     

Effect of pole-tip size on perpendicular recording head remanence

To aid understanding the physical mechanisms responsible for the perpendicular write head remanent field and thereby improve the write head design, we studied the remanence of single-pole perpendicular recording heads with trailing shield by using a contact scanning recording tester. We used two different pole-tip size heads in the study. We found that the remanence areas of the heads tested usually locate at the trailing edge corners of the pole tip. We also found that the remanence areas of both types of heads are also the head field easy-rising areas when the heads are driven by low write currents. Additionally, the current level that leads to remanence is the same for both types of heads. However, the remanence of the small pole-tip heads can be demagnetized by a much lower amplitude reverse current than that of the large pole-tip heads.     

Kerr effect microscopy imaging of recorded domains on perpendicularmagnetic recording media

Recorded domains on perpendicular recording double-layer media were imaged by magnetooptical Kerr effect microscopy. The reversal domains were observed at the edge of tracks by a head whose leading pole is wider than its trailing pole. It was found that the perpendicular magnetic field of a trailing pole overwrites the domains written by that of a leading pole     

Temporal pulse reshaping with surface waves

The temporal reshaping of short optical pulses reflected from a metal film under the condition of surface-wave excitation of single- and multiple-boundary surface-plasmon modes is theoretically investigated. Reflected pulse shapes are calculated through evaluation of Fourier transform integrals both by direct numerical integration and by approximate pole expansion. The latter is particularly useful for the interpretation of the simple exponential time decay of the trailing edge of the pulse. Emphasis is placed on determination of the range of parameters for which pulse reshaping may be experimentally observed. Diffraction of the incident beam is a limiting factor.     

Time evolution of few-cycle pulse in a dense V-type three-level medium

Propagation of a few-cycle laser pulse in a dense V-type three-level atomic medium is investigated by the numerical solution of the full Maxwell–Bloch equations without the rotating wave and slowly varying envelope approximations, and the numerical solution is obtained by using the predictor–corrector method and the finite-difference time-domain method. It is shown that, due to the strength of the electric field induced by the macroscopic polarization in a dense medium being stronger than that in a dilute medium and the influence of the near dipole–dipole (NDD) interaction, the time evolution of a few-cycle pulse in the dense medium is remarkably different from that in the corresponding dilute medium. In the dilute medium, oscillation arises at the trailing edge of the pulse; while in the dense medium, it appears at both the leading and trailing edges of the pulse; moreover, the oscillation at the leading edge is more obvious with the pulse area decreasing. The carrier-envelope phase has an obvious difference in the two cases with and without NDD interaction. The ratio, γ, of the transition dipole moments has strong influence on the time evolution and split of the pulse. In the dense medium, when?γ?= 1, NDD interaction delays propagation and split of the pulse; while when?γ?> 1, NDD interaction accelerates propagation and split of the pulse, moreover, the phenomenon is more obvious with the input pulse area decreasing. In the dilute medium, the larger area pulse doesn't split when?γ?= 1 while it splits when?γ?> 1.     

Pulse distortion of a scattered chirped pulse

We have studied the time-dependent properties of a chirped short pulse when the pulse is scattered by a spherical particle. We used generalized Lorentz-Mie formulas to study the scattered electrical field and pulse distortion. Plane wave Gaussian pulses of different chirps with a constant pulse-filling coefficient l(0) = 1.98 have been studied. A morphology-dependent resonance causes a prolonged trailing edge (small scattering angle) and oscillations (large scattering angle) in the scattered pulse. When frequency sweeping superimposes on a morphology-dependent resonance, the pulse chirp affects the scattered pattern and distorts the scattered intensity. Multisecondary pulses are generated because of the pulse chirp and even subsecondary pulses occur if the incident pulse is deeply chirped. The pulse widths of secondary and subsecondary pulses are shorter than those of an incident pulse.     

Damage analysis of a crack layer

Damage analysis of a crack layer in polystyrene is carried out by employing optical microscopy and principles of quantitative steteology. The results show that, within the quasistatic phase of crack layer propagation, the average crazing density, along the trailing edge of the active zone, is constant. This is consistent with a self-similarity hypothesis of damage evolution employed by the crack layer theory. The average crazing densities within the active zone and along its trailing edge are found to be practically equal. A layer of constant crazing density, adjacent to the crack planes, accompanies the crack during its quasi-static growth. This suggests that: (1) a certain level of crazing density should be reached, around the crack tip, prior to crack advance; (2) the specific energy, associated with this ‘core’ of damage, could be considered as a Griffith's type energy. The results are in favour of certain hypotheses adopted by the crack layer theory.     

Thin-film inductive heads for perpendicular recording

A modified thin-film magnetic head for perpendicular recording in rigid disk drives with improved read/write characteristics, especially at high areal bit densities, is presented. The head on which the modified design is based is described. It combines the advantages of single-pole heads and thin-film heads, writing with the sharp field edge of the leading pole and reading like a thin-film head. To increase the writing efficiency and improve the yield, the sequence of magnetic layers in the head is changed; the second layer of the four-layer head is embedded in the substrate, where it can be placed much closer to the pole tip of the first layer. The improved write capability depends mainly on the position of the embedded layer. In addition, there results an improved magnetic flux guidance from the embedded layer into the pole tip layer, providing the potential for a significant improvement in fabrication yield. The embedded-layer approach also allows a further increase in areal density. The results of read/write tests and the write-wide and read-narrow characteristics are presented     

A technique for measuring pole tip saturation of low inductance heads

Increasing the coercive force of a magnetic recording medium normally improves high density digital performance. However, in rigid disk systems, the head is not in intimate contact with the disk. In addition, the ferrites employed as head materials have much lower saturation magnetization than the metals normally used in other types of heads. Under these conditions, the head field may be inadequate to fully saturate recording media of higher than normal coercive force. In the development of the latest disk products, increasing the coercive force has not improved performance but has increased overwrite modulation. This situation has not been improved by increasing write current amplitude. Pole tip and core saturation of the record head has been suspected as the cause of these observations. This paper describes a method of characterizing saturation effects in low inductance heads such as those used with rigid disks. Evidence of the deterioration of performance due to pole tip and core saturation is shown from isolated pulse measurements on a rigid disk with NiZn and MnZn ferrite heads.     

Fast fracture and crack arrest according to the Dugdale model

Dynamic effects near a propagating crack tip in a ductile material have been investigated on the basis of a model with a strip-zone of yielding. In the analysis of fast fracture the unknown variables are the speeds of the leading and trailing edges of the yield zone, where the latter defines the position of the actual crack tip. Propagation of the crack tip is governed by two conditions: the usual one that the cleavage stress is bounded at the leading edge of the yield zone, and a second condition which involves the yield stress and the stretch of the fiber at the trailing edge of the yield zone. By combining well-known results for transient dynamic stress-intensity factors and crack-opening displacements corresponding to external loads, with steady-state dynamic results for the fields corresponding to the cohesive tractions in the yield zone, the dynamic problem of fast fracture has been analyzed for both the Mode III and the Mode I case. The results can be used to investigate crack arrest when a propagating crack tip enters a region of higher ductility.     

Numerical and experimental investigation of axial fan with trailing edge self-induced blowing

Axial fans often show adverse flow conditions at the fan hub and at the tip of the blades. In the present paper, a modification of conventional axial fan blades with numerical and experimental investigation is presented. Hollow blades were manufactured from the hub to the trailing edge at the tip of the blades. They enable the formation of self-induced internal flow through internal passages. The internal flow enters the internal radial flow passages of the hollow blades through the openings near the fan hub and exits through the trailing edge slots at the tip of the blade. The study of the influence of internal flow on the flow field of axial fan and the modifications of aerodynamic characteristics of the axial fan have been made. The numerical and experimental results show a comparison of integral and local characteristics of the axial fan with the internal flow, compared to characteristics of a geometrically equivalent fan without internal flow. The experimental results of local characteristics were performed with a five-hole probe and computer-aided visualization. A reduction of adverse flow conditions near the trailing edge at the tip of the blade was achieved, as well as boundary layer reduction on the blade suction side and the reduction of flow separation. The introduction of self-induced blowing led to the preservation of the direction of external flow, defined by blade geometry, and enabled maximal local energy conversion. The integral characteristic reached higher degree of efficiency.     

Gap length and sensor height effects on readback signals inshielded magnetoresistive sensors

Shielded magnetoresistive transducers, linearized by a combination of shunt biasing and soft adjacent layer biasing, were fabricated with a range of gap lengths and sensor heights. The signal amplitude increased with the terminal resistance, but it appeared to be independent of the total gap length. Placing the sensor asymmetrically between the shields did not introduce any obvious longitudinal distortion into the shape of the isolated pulse. The pulse amplitude asymmetry was sensitive to the sensor height, with the degree of this sensitivity affected by the lengths of the two gaps. A transmission line calculation shows how the amplitude asymmetry is affected by the placement of the sensor between the two shields. The spatial sensitivity across the track was affected by both the sensor height and the sense current, systematically changing its apparent magnetic position     

Characteristics of the readback signal in digital magnetic recording

A theoretical treatment for the readback process in digital magnetic recording is presented. Three major factors, namely, the medium constantswhich defines the extent of the surface charge density, the head-to-medium spacingd, and the read head gap2 g,are taken into consideration. A general solution giving the characteristics of pulse readback signal is shown as a function ofs,dandg. Both amplitude and pulse width of the readback signal are arranged as a product of the medium loss, spacing loss, and gap loss, making it easy to describe the influence of each factor separately. The final value of the amplitude and the pulse width is proportional to that of the recorded surface charge density. Spacing loss simply depends on the ratio ofd/s; gap loss depends on the ratio ofg/(s + d). Theoretical results are compared with experiments which show good agreement for a wide combination ofs,d, andg.     

Study on multi-peak behavior of pulsed dielectric barrier discharges in atmospheric-pressure helium

In this work the multi-peak behavior of the dielectric barrier discharge excited by repetitive voltage pulses (pulsed DBD) in atmospheric-pressure helium has been systematically investigated, based on a one-dimensional fluid model. The effects of the parameters of the applied voltage pulse and dielectrics on the multi-peak behavior of the pulsed DBD have been analyzed in detail. The parameters of the applied voltage pulse include voltage growth rate, amplitude, pulse-width, and frequency. The parameters of dielectrics refer to relative permittivity and dielectric thickness. Under the given amplitude of the applied voltage pulse, the number of current pulses presents no monotonic decrease with increasing voltage growth rate, and the dependence of the amplitude of each current pulse on voltage growth rate is different. For a given voltage growth rate, the number of current pulses will increase with increasing applied voltage amplitude, but the amplitude of each current pulse does not vary. In addition, the increase of the pulse-width or the frequency can induce not only later appearance of current pulses and smaller amplitude of the last current pulse at the rising edge of the applied voltage pulse but also larger amplitude of the last current pulse at the falling edge of the applied voltage pulse. Also, the decrease of relative permittivity of the dielectric or the increase of dielectric thickness results in smaller discharge current density and shorter time of charging dielectrics, which may increase the number of current pulses.     

Anomalous wavelength response of a thin film head from double-layer perpendicular media

The readback signal of a thin film head from a double-layer perpendicular medium shows enhanced undulations in the amplitude versus density plot. These undulations are an order of magnitude greater than that observed in the longitudinal recording. In addition, the null response usually occurs at a wavelength much longer than the gap length. This anomalous wavelength response is attributed to the interaction between the head and the underlayer. Three models with different degrees of head-underlayer interaction are used to analyze this phenomenon. Experimental data are presented and compared with these models. The effect of the pole length, gap length, medium thickness, and head-to-medium spacing on the wavelength response is also discussed.     

Unshielded magnetoresistive heads in very high-density recording

Unshielded magnetoresistive (UMR) heads provide very high signal levels and low noise but, because of their relatively large element height and an insensitive "dead zone" at the sensor edges, they have poor resolution. As a consequence, the signal diminishes dramatically as the recorded density increases and may be as much as 30 dB or a factor of 30 down at very high density. Various techniques have been used to increase the resolution and reduce the "peak-to-bandedge" ratio but they all reduce the bandedge signal as well and hence tend to lower the signal-to-noise ratio. We have found that a peak-to-bandedge ratio of more than 30 dB can be equalized and hence the standard UMR described by Hunt can be used to advantage in very high-density recording. This report describes results obtained with a UMR head reproducing 80 kFCI (3150 FC/mm) signals recorded on Kodak Isomax tape. Bandedge signal and low-density distortion were plotted versus bias field. Surprisingly, maximum high-density signal and minimum distortion occur at about the same bias field. Electronic, thermal, and magnetic noise were measured and tape-noise-limited performance was obtained. Equalized signals from a pseudo-random data sequence were examined with a transition interval analyzer as well as by eye pattern photograph. The transitions were well separated, and the eye pattern was well defined in both phase and amplitude.     

一种矩形脉冲信号沿控制电路设计

随着矩形脉冲信号的广泛应用,作为脉冲质量的重要参数,脉冲信号上升/下降时间越来越受到重视。针对矩形脉冲信号沿可控的要求,提出了一种对矩形脉冲信号上升/下降沿时间精密控制的电路设计。该电路基于电桥平衡原理和电容的电荷存储特性设计,利用电桥平衡原理设计高速开关,通过高速开关控制精密可控恒流产生源和恒流吸收源对电容的充/放电电流,实现对矩形脉冲信号上升/下降时间的控制。实验证明,该设计能够实现矩形脉冲信号上升沿/下降沿时间在800ps至1μs范围内可控调整。     

Comparison of reproduction performance of a single pole head and a ring head

The reproduction pulse amplitude of a single pole head from double-layer perpendicular media has been analyzed. We derived an analytic expression to relate the pulse amplitude to the head and medium parameters. Experimental data are also presented to verify the calculated results. The reproduction performances of a single pole head and a ring head are theoretically compared and found to be comparable when both are normalized to the same head inductance.     

Surface Degradation and Cracking in Combustion Turbine Blade Cooling Passages

The depth of internal oxidation and nitridation from the surface of the 16 cooling holes in a first-stage turbine blade was measured by optical microscopy after 32,000 hours of service. Maximum depth of penetration was 15.5 mils (0.4 mm) at the trailing edge hole. An effort was made to predict hole surface metal temperatures based on these measurements using the Arrhenius relationship between time and temperature with depth of oxidation assumed to be parabolic with time. Good correlations were obtained between the finite element analysis results and the predictions. In the thickest part of the airfoil, where metal temperature is minimum, intergranular cracks up to 1.2.6 mils (0.32 mm∥ in depth were found at the surface of the cooling holes. Measurable attack was only one to two mils (0.025-0.050 mm). Based on an approximate elastic-relaxation-local inelastic stress analysis, it was calculated that inelastic local strains of over one percent occur at the points of cracking. No cracking was observed in the hotter holes, but cracking did occur in a trailing edge tip cooling hole when weld repair of the tip squealer was attempted indicating that embrittlement had occurred from the environmental attack.