Comparison of tribological performance of pure carbon and carbon-nitrogen coated thin film head sliders

The wear performance of pure carbon and carbon nitrogen (C:N) coated thin film head sliders was evaluated by continuous drag testing (CDT). Comparison was made in light of protection of these two various carbon films. By studying the air bearing surfaces of the heads under atomic force microscopy (AFM) and secondary electron microscopy (SEM), it was found that during the CDT test, the head may fail before the disk fails and the area of Al2O3 is the most possible place where wear begins. There were small amounts of material transferred from head slider to disk, although no evidence of opposite transfer was found.