Design and performance of magnetic heads for magneto-optic recording with magnetic field modulation

Abstract

In magneto-optic recording, the most direct way to overwrite stored information is to switch the magnetization in a laser-heated region of the magneto-optic layer by means of an alternating magnetic field generated by a magnetic head. The heat dissipation in the head and the necessary voltage and current amplitude associated with fast switching, the desired high field, and a large head-to-medium distance make high demands upon the head design and the current source, respectively. Design criteria and numerical and experimental results for some circularly symmetric head configurations are presented.