Characterization of change of carbon bonding due to sliding wear damage by scanning Auger microscopy

The alteration of carbon bonding resulting from the continuous frictional heating between a magnetic head slider and a rotating thin film rigid disk has been investigated. This change of carbon bonding from diamondlike amorphous carbon phase to graphite phase was inspected by scanning Auger microscopy (SAM). As near and direct contact recording are being considered for future high density disk drives, this phase transformation of the protective carbon overcoating could result in failure of the head-disk interface.<
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