Imation Corp. has recently previewed a new multi-channel "adjacent-track" write and read tape technology.

"Data storage tape systems have increased areal density 100,000 times over the past half century," said Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, vice president, Global Commercial Business, R&D and Manufacturing, Imation Corp. "Before 1990, the increase was primarily due to improved linear density. Since then, the application of track-following servo has enabled track density to make a more dramatic contribution. To maintain backward compatibility, designers have kept tape formats similar from generation to generation by using the same servo format and channel spans on the recording and playback heads. This design philosophy results in the need to simultaneously write and read sets of tracks that are spaced apart by significant intervals, which makes the dimensional stability of the substrate materials very critical as tracks become narrower. Without a breakthrough approach to how tracks are written on the tape, conventional, low-cost, substrates are rapidly reaching their limits. Our new adjacent-track write and read technology is an important breakthrough that has demonstrated a major advance in capacity and track- following capability."