FUTURE TAPE TECHNOLOGY

NSIC's targets for the years 2002 and 2007 are listed in Table 4.1 along with actual specifications for existing products as of 1997. The assumption is that multi-track magnetoresistive thin film heads will be used in both linear and helical formats to achieve the required density and data rates.

Fig. 4.1. Storage subsystem cost trends.

Further, by 2007, both formats will have the same volumetric density of ~5 terabytes/in³. Clearly, the projections show that most of the improvement, particularly in longitudinal recorders, will come from significantly increased track density. The increases in linear density are not inconsistent with the historical data although there has been a flattening-off since approximately 1995. It is also required that the tape thickness be reduced to about 4 µm while still maintaining sufficient mechanical properties to be transported reliably.

The various components of a tape storage system are shown in Table 4.2 with an indication of the relative position of the United States and Japan. Head technology and system electronics will be derived from hard disk drive (HDD) development but new media, improved head/tape tribological properties, reliable tape transports and new systems must come from the tape industry.