Patent ID: 8018820

Claim:
A recording system for magnetic storage devices, comprising: a beam column for generating a beam, the beam column including deflection plates for controlling deflection of the beam in response to a series of deflection signals; a platform for moving a magnetic storage medium relative to the beam while the beam is applied to a plurality of dot groupings on an extent of the magnetic storage medium during a single pass of the beam column above the extent; and a signal generator for sequentially supplying the series of deflection signals to the deflection plates of the beam column, wherein the series of deflection signals from the signal generator comprises a plurality of signals each with a select polarity and a select amplitude so as to deflect the beam according to displacement of dots amongst the dot groupings on the magnetic storage medium during the single pass of the beam column; wherein the dots of the rows are skewed relative to each other such that any given dot of any given dot row is offset from an adjacent dot of a further dot row by a first distance in a direction of the magnetic storage medium when moved and such that said given dot is offset from a further adjacent dot of the further dot row or another dot row by a second distance in a direction opposite that of the magnetic storage medium when moved.