Etching technique for determining diamond like carbon coating wear on the trailing edge of pseudo contact thin film sliders

A technique for evaluating the wear of Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating on the alumina encapsulation portion of coated pseudo contact thin film inductive sliders is presented. The tested parts were subjected to a chemical etch and were examined via Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) techniques. Film voids and wear over the trailing edge were clearly revealed. Data regarding prime coated, prime uncoated heads and heads that have experienced CSS and sweeping actuation tests are presented. Prime sliders coated with approximately 150 /spl Aring/ of DLC were shown to contain small amounts of porosity and scratches, while heads without coating were uniformly etched. The amount of DLC wear on both CSS and sweeping heads was inconsistent and varied from near complete removal to slightly increased scratches. Inconsistency in wear is attributed to the variability among the heads' flying characteristics.