Collaborative Research: SGER: Development and Tribological Evaluation of F-DLC Films for Magnetic Recording Applications

拟议的为期一年的探索性合作研究的主要目标是开发、表征、建模和优化氟化类金刚石碳涂层，以用作磁记录磁盘驱动器的耐磨涂层。西南研究所团队的主要重点将是开发一种具有“自润滑”特性的薄且无针孔的涂层。由于目前的磁盘使用全氟化碳氢化合物润滑剂的碳涂层的磨损保护，我们的方法将是开发硬涂层，类DLC的性质，模拟氟化碳氢化合物润滑剂的行为，而不需要施加润滑剂局部DLC涂层。本研究的目的是开发一种沉积工艺，以便可以获得极薄（~ 1 nm）的硬，致密和自润滑膜。 位于圣地亚哥的加州大学团队将通过进行启动/停止和加载/卸载测试以及优化这些薄膜的摩擦学性能来调查和优化上述薄膜的摩擦学性能。将使用其他先进的磨损评估方法，如表面反射率分析和超声波激发下的纳米硬度测量。使用传统技术实现1 Tbpsi量级面密度的磁存储的进步变得越来越困难。在达到5 nm的磁间距时遇到了严重的问题，这是实现1 Tbpsi存储密度所需的。自润滑且不需要厚度为1 nm的局部施加的润滑剂膜的薄的耐磨碳外涂层对于实现5 nm的磁间距要求是极其重要的。 如果成功，这项研究对磁记录行业的影响将是巨大的。

The main objective of the proposed one-year exploratory collaborative research is to develop, characterize, model and optimize fluorinated diamond-like carbon overcoats for application as wear-protective overcoats in magnetic recording disk drives. The main focus of the Southwest Research Institute team will be to develop a thin and pinhole-free overcoat with "self-lubricating" properties. Since present-day disks use per-fluorinated hydro-carbon lubricants for wear protection of the carbon overcoat, our approach will be to develop hard coatings, DLC-like in nature, which simulate the behavior of fluorinated hydrocarbon lubricants without the need for applying the lubricants topically on the DLC coatings. It is the intent of this research to develop a deposition process so that an extremely thin (~1nm) hard, dense and self-lubricating film can be obtained. The University of California at San Diego team will investigate and optimize the tribological properties of the above films by performing start/stop and load/unload tests and optimizing the tribological properties of these films. Other advanced methods of wear evaluation will be used such as surface reflectance analysis and nano-hardness measurements in the presence of ultra-sonic wave excitation.The advancement of magnetic storage using conventional technologies to reach areal densities of the order of 1Tbpsi is becoming increasingly more difficult. Serious problems are encountered in reaching a magnetic spacing of 5nm, which is required for achieving a storage density of 1Tbpsi. A thin wear-protective carbon overcoat that is self-lubricating and does not require a topically applied lubricant film of 1 nm in thickness is of utmost importance in achieving the magnetic spacing requirement of 5 nm. If successful, the impact of this research on the magnetic recording industry will be enormous.