Degradation of Lubricant Film and Carbon Overcoat Subjected to Laser Heating in an Inert Gas Environment in Thermally Assisted Magnetic Recording

This paper investigates the depletion of a thin lubricant film subjected to laser heating in an inert gas environment, and we experimentally elucidate the fundamental characteristics and mechanisms related to lubricant depletion in air and inert gas environments. In addition, fundamental experimental studies are conducted to understand the structural stability or degradation, such as through oxidation and graphitization of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films subjected to laser heating, in an inert gas environment compared to air environment. The degradation and its mechanisms are investigated using Raman spectroscopy. The results suggest that less degradation would occur by oxidation for a DLC thin film in an inert gas environment than air environment. It is found that, from the view point of the reliability in the head/disk interface, the lubricant depletion issue is more crucial than DLC thin-film degradation for thermally assisted magnetic recording in an inert gas environment.