Simulations of continuous/cluster-pinned recording media

Continuous/cluster-pinned recording media, consisting of cuboid clusters of various sizes exchange-coupled to a continuous hard layer, were modelled to investigate their suitability for high density data storage. The pinning field due to the clusters was determined by modelling domain-wall motion in the continuous layer. Larger clusters, a thinner continuous layer and increased saturation magnetisation of the clusters all increased the pinning field. Simulations of recording demonstrated the feasibility of using domain-wall pinning to control the written bit size in continuous media.