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Control of head smear generation by diamond-like carbon films using an external electric field

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Abstract

The formation of head smears in heat-assisted magnetic recording is a significant problem that must be addressed to ensure the reliability of the head-disk interface. In this study, we investigated the dependence of the electric field on the hydrocarbon smear generated by the diamond-like carbon (DLC) overcoat between a magnetic disk and a Si wafer used as a counter surface. We found that the electric field controlled the amount of hydrocarbon smear generated by the heated magnetic disks. A positive electric field extracted hydrocarbon ions from the thermal plasma toward the Si wafer, whereas a negative field attracted the hydrocarbon ions to the DLC surface. As a result, a positive electric field between the disk and the Si wafer increased the amount of smear, but a negative field reduced it. Therefore, when the laser irradiation in heat-assisted magnetic recording heats the DLC overcoat, the electric field between the slider and disk controls the smear generation.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported in part by KAKENHI Grant No. 21H01240 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kansai University, Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan

    Hiroshi Tani, Renguo Lu, Shinji Koganezawa & Norio Tagawa

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  1. Hiroshi Tani
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  2. Renguo Lu
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  3. Shinji Koganezawa
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  4. Norio Tagawa
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Correspondence to Hiroshi Tani.

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Tani, H., Lu, R., Koganezawa, S. et al. Control of head smear generation by diamond-like carbon films using an external electric field. Microsyst Technol 29, 295–300 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-023-05421-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-023-05421-0

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