HAMR head-disk interface - lubricant desorption and laser damage study

The HAMR head-disc interface is the subject of intense research due to its potential to extend the areal density of magnetic recording to the Tb/in² and above range. We have studied possible material constituents of this interface to determine their robustness for this technology. Of specific interest are the effects of repeated high thermal excursions on these materials. Furthermore, it is expected that each bit may be irradiated ~10⁷ times under normal operating conditions, thus placing a limit on accumulated effects due to this surface irradiation