Structural Stability of Nanometer-Thick Diamond-Like Carbon Films due to Heating for Thermally Assisted Magnetic Recording

Thermally assisted magnetic recording (TAMR) has been studied to achieve high magnetic recording densities. Thus far, we have investigated the depletion of a thin lubricant film on a disk surface subjected to rapid laser heating in TAMR and elucidated the fundamental characteristics and the mechanisms related to lubricant depletion due to laser heating, theoretically and experimentally. A DLC thin film on a disk surface is damaged when it is heated to high temperatures of approximately 200∼400°C using laser beams in TAMR. These concerns may also be a critical technical issue in TAMR. Thus far, experimental research has been carried out to understand the DLC damage due to laser heating^[1][2]. However, existing knowledge regarding the abovementioned issue is still limited. Therefore, in this study, experimental studies have been conducted to understand the structural stability of DLC thin films under heating using CVD and FCVA DLC films.