Hard-disk drive and control method for magnetic recording on a patterned medium of the hard-disk drive

A hard-disk drive comprising:

• a magnetic-recording disk including tracks on which a plurality of patterned bit-cells that are isolated magnetically from each other are aligned at predetermined alignment pitches;
• a magnetic-recording head which is configured to follow said tracks and to write and to read data;
• a signal-processing unit which is configured to generate a recording signal based on a write-clock signal with cycles corresponding to said alignment pitches of said patterned bit-cells, and to output said recording signal to said magnetic-recording head;
• a time-detecting unit which is configured to detect a time interval during which said magnetic-recording head passes through a predetermined range including a range into which data are written by said magnetic-recording head in said tracks, wherein the predetermined range is approximately half the alignment pitches of said patterned bit-cells;
• and
• a determination-processing unit which is configured to determine success of data writing by said magnetic-recording head based on a difference between an expected value and a detected value of said time interval during which said magnetic-recording head passes through said predetermined range, without requiring the performance of a verification process.

A control method for magnetic recording on patterned media of a hard-disk drive, said method comprising:

• accessing a plurality of patterned bit-cells that are isolated magnetically from each other are aligned at predetermined alignment pitches;
• detecting a phase of a write-clock signal when a magnetic-recording head reaches an end point of a predetermined range including a range into which data is written by said magnetic-recording head in said tracks, wherein the predetermined range is approximately half the alignment pitches of the patterned bit-cells;
• and
• determining success of data writing by said magnetic-recording head based on a difference between an expected value and a detected value of said phase of said write-clock signal when said magnetic-recording head reaches said end point of said predetermined range without requiring the performing a verification process.