Effects of read/write misalignment and asymmetric side reading on magnetoresistive head off-track performance

In this paper we discuss spin stand techniques for studying and measuring the magnetic misalignment and asymmetric side reading in a magnetoresistive (MR) recording head. The concept of a magnetic center for the MR head is introduced and discussed. Two procedures for finding the magnetic center are described. One method uses dual microtrack profiles, and the other uses peak jitter measurements. Finally, calculated error rates and microtrack profile slope data are combined to determine the read/write offset which results in optimum off-track performance.