Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Laser-Induced Thermo-Desorption of Perfluoropolyether Lubricant from the Surface of a Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording Disk: Lubricant Evaporation and Diffusion

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Tribology Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) storage technology will thermally stress the lubricant film typically applied to the storage disk surface. Different lubricant loss and morphology change mechanisms have been hypothesized to occur during information writing. A loss to of the lubricant film will dramatically affect its overall mechanical and chemical performance of the head–disk interface, decreasing its reliability and its durability. Thus an all optical pump–probe method was used to study the effect of fast thermal transients (106 K/s) on a lubricant film on HAMR media. Thermal transients (Bhushan and Cheng in J Appl Phys 81:5390, 1997) with peak temperatures above the HAMR media Curie temperature (T c) were found to remove by evaporation the lubricant within the heated region creating a lubricant depression in the otherwise continuous film. No accumulation of lubricant volume was observed to take place in the cooler regions of the thermal spot, indicating that thermocapillary shear stress is not an important mechanism of lubricant thickness change with the optical spot size used (65 μm). The onset of lubricant loss was observed to begin at approximately 610 K and was totally removed at 823 K. The change in depth of the lubricant depression with time showed that no structural terms contributed to the disjoining pressure for the lubricant thickness range studied. From this change, the diffusion coefficient of the lubricant on the carbon overcoat surface was determined to be 1 × 10−13 m2/s by fitting Fick’s second law to the normalized lubricant thickness. The importance of these observations on the operating HAMR head–disk interface is discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bhushan, B., Cheng, Y.: Wear degradation mechanisms of magnetic thin-film rigid disks with different lubricants using mass spectrometry. J. Appl. Phys. 81, 5390 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Seagate Promises to Double HDD Capacity With HAMR. http://www.storagenewsletter.com/rubriques/hard-disk-drives/seagate-hamr/ (2012)

  3. Challener, W., Erden, M.F., Gage, E., Hsia, Y.-T., Ju, G., Kryder, M., McDaniel, T., Rottmayer, R.: Heat assisted magnetic recording. Proc. IEEE 96(11), 1810 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Herrera-Fierro, P., Jones Jr, W.R., Pepper, S.V.: Interfacial chemistry of a perfluoropolyether lubricant studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature desorption spectroscopy. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 11(2), 354 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Waltman, R.J.: The interactions between Z-Tetraol perfluoropolyether and amorphous nitrogenated-and hydrogenated-carbon surfaces and silicon nitride. J. Fluor. Chem. 125, 391–400 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Heller, J., Mate, C.M., Tam, A.C.: Laser-induced short time scale thermal chemistry of perfluoropolyether lubricant films. Langmuir 15, 82–8287 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ma, Y., Chen, X., Liu, B.: Experimental study of lubricant depletion in heat-assisted magnetic recording: effect of the duration of one laser heating. Tribol. Lett. 48, 337–344 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zhou, W., Zeng, Y., Liu, B., Yu, S., Hua, W., Huang, X.: Evaporation of polydisperse perfluoropolyether lubricants in heat-assisted magnetic recording. Appl. Phys. Express 4, 095201–095203 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ma, Y.S., Chen, X.Y., Zhao, J.M., Yu, S.K., Liu, B., Seet, H.L., Ng, K.K., Hu, J.F., Shi, J.Z.: Experimental study of lubricant depletion in heat assisted magnetic recording. IEEE Trans. Magn. 48(5), 1813–1818 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wu, L.: Modelling and simulation of the lubricant depletion process induced by laser heating in heat-assisted magnetic recording system. Nanotechnology 18, 215702-215701–215702-215708 (2007)

  11. Tagawa, N., Kakitani, R., Tani, H., Iketani, N., Nakano, I.: Study of lubricant depletion induced by laser heating in thermally assisted magnetic recording systems-effect of lubricant film materials. IEEE Trans. Magn. 45(2), 877–882 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Tagawa, N., Tani, H.: Lubricant depletion characteristics induced by rapid laser heating in thermally assisted magnetic recording. IEEE Trans. Magn. 47(1), 105–110 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Chen, X., Ma, Y., Liu, B., Xie, H., Ji, R.: Experimental study if lubricant depletion in heat assisted magnetic recording: different lubricants On HAMR media. Microsyst. Technol. 19(9–10), 1581–1586 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Tagawa, N., Andoh, H., Tani, H.: Study on lubricant depletion induced by laser heating in thermally assisted magnetic recording systems: effect of lubricant thickness and bonded ratio. Tribol. Lett. 37, 411–418 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Tagawa, N., Miki, T., Tani, H.: Depletion of monolayer liquid lubricant films induced by high-frequency pulsed-laser heating in thermally assisted magnetic recording. Microsyst. Technol. 18, 1353–1357 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Waltman, R.J., Deng, H., Wang, G.J., Zhu, H., Tyndall, G.W.: The effect of PFPE film thickness and molecular polarity on the pick-up of disk lubricant by a low-flying slider. Tribol. Lett. 39(2), 211–219 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Waltman, R.J., Khurshudov, A.G.: The contribution of thin PFPE lubricants to slider-disk spacing. 2. Effect of film thickness and lubricant end groups. Tribol. Lett. 13(3), 197–202 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Jones, P.M., Merzikline, A., Yan, X., Li, L., Dinh, L., Stirniman, M., Tang, H.: The influence of ultraviolet irradiation on the surface chemistry of Ztetraol magnetic hard disk lubricant: a combined temperature programed desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study. Tribol. Lett. 44(2), 201–211 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lei, R.Z., Gellman, A.J., Jones, P.: Thermal stability of Fomblin Z and Fomblin Zdol thin films on amorphous hydrogenated. Carbon 11(1), 1–5 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Solvay-Solexis: Fomblin Z Derivatives: Product Data Sheet. Solvay Solexis, Inc., North America (2002)

  21. Jones, P.M., Ahner, J., Platt, C.L., Tang, H., Hohlfeld, J.: Understanding disk carbon loss kinetics for heat assisted magnetic recording. IEEE Trans. Magn. 50(3), 3300704 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Daahl, J.B., Bogy, D.B.: Lubricant flow and evaporation model for heat-assisted magnetic recording including functional end-group effects and thin film viscosity. Tribol. Lett. 52, 27–45 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Zeng, Y., Zhou, W., Huang, X., Yu, S.: Numerical study on thermal-induced lubricant depletion in laser heat-assisted magnetic recording systems. Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 55, 886–896 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Lim, M.S., Gellman, A.J.: Kinetics of laser induced desorption and decomposition of Fomblin Zdol on carbon overcoats. Tribol. Int. 38, 544–561 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Marchon, B., Karis, T.E.: Poiseuille flow at a nanometer scale. Europhys. Lett. 74(2), 294–298 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Marchon, B., Saito, T.: Lubricant thermodiffusion in heat assisted magnetic recording. IEEE Trans. Magn. 48(11), 4471–4474 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Castellanos, A.J., Garcia-Sucre, M., Urbina-Villalba, G.: Temperature dependence of hamaker constants for fluorocarbon compounds. J. Phys. Chem. B 107, 8532–8537 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Kim, M.C., Jhon, M.S.: Microscopic spreading of nonreactive perfluoropolyalkylether film on amorphous carbon surfaces. Korean J. Chem. Eng. 17(4), 44448 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mayeeda, M.S., Kato, T.: Experimental study of the replenishment of ultrathin liquid perfluoropolyether films on carbon surfaces. J. Appl. Phys. 91(10), 7580–7582 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Tagawa, N., Korenaga, M., Mori, A., Kobayashi, N., Ikegami, M.: Effects of end groups on the spreading characteristics of molecularly thin liquid lubricant films in hard disk drives. IEEE Trans. Magn. 43(9), 3705–3709 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Kim, M.C., Lee, S.B., Kim, S.: Microscopic spreading characteristics of nonpolar perfluoropolyalkylether film on carbon surfaces. J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 8(1), 39–45 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Itoh, S., Takahashi, K., Fukuzawa, K., Amakawa, H., Zhang, H.: Spreading properties of monolayer lubricant films: effect of bonded molecules. IEEE Trans. Magn. 45(11), 5055–5060 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Ma, X., Gui, J., Grannen, K., Marchon, B., Jhon, M.S., Bauer, C.L.: Spreading of perfluoropolyalkylether films on amorphous carbon surfaces. J. Chem. Phys. 110(6), 3129–3137 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. George, S.M.: Surface diffusion measured using laser induced desorption. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Lasers ‘84. STS Press, McLean, VA, USA (1985)

  35. Waltman, R.J.: Autophobic dewetting of Z-tetraol perfluoropolyether lubricant films on the amorphous nitrogenated carbon surface. Langmuir 20, 3166–3172 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Karis, T.E., Kim, W.T., Jhon, M.S.: Spreading and dewetting in nanoscale lubrication. Tribol. Lett. 18(1), 27–41 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Seagate Technology LLC, 47010 Kato Road, Fremont, CA, 94538, USA

    Paul M. Jones, Xiaoping Yan, Michael Stirniman, Florin Zavaliche & Huan H. Tang

  2. Seagate Technology LLC, 7801 Computer Avenue, Normandale, MN, 55435, USA

    Julius Hohlfeld & James D. Kiely

Authors
  1. Paul M. Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaoping Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Julius Hohlfeld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael Stirniman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. James D. Kiely
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Florin Zavaliche
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Huan H. Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul M. Jones.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jones, P.M., Yan, X., Hohlfeld, J. et al. Laser-Induced Thermo-Desorption of Perfluoropolyether Lubricant from the Surface of a Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording Disk: Lubricant Evaporation and Diffusion. Tribol Lett 59, 33 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-015-0561-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-015-0561-y

Keyword

Search

Navigation