Measurement and mechanism of pole tip recession with advanced metal evaporated tape at low tension in a linear tape drive

Increased head-to-tape spacing in a magnetic tape drive causes signal loss. Pole tip recession (PTR) is a type of differential wear that occurs with tape heads and increases the effective head-to-tape spacing. The extent and mechanism of PTR that occurs when using metal particle (MP) tape has been examined by various authors and is well documented. To achieve higher recording density, tape manufacturers are developing thin-film tapes, such as advanced metal evaporated (AME) tape, for use in linear tape drives. The structure of AME tape is fundamentally different from MP tape and AME tape must be run at lower tension. The goals of this study are to determine the amount of PTR that occurs and to investigate the mechanism by which PTR proceeds when AME and MP tapes are rubbed against a commercial head in a linear tape drive at low tension. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure PTR after interval sliding distances. It is shown that use of AME tape led to lower PTR than use of MP tape, and the probable mechanism of PTR growth is three-body abrasion, with different types of abrasive debris from the two tapes.