Abstract
To tailor the tribological performance of molecularly thin liquid lubricant films coated on magnetic disk surfaces, we have developed a method in which magnetic disks are first irradiated with UV rays through a mask and then lubricant films are applied to the disk surfaces. We confirmed that a concave-convex film structure with 0.37 nm thicker lubricant in the irradiated region was developed. The surface energy in the convex region was higher as compared with the concave region; however, the disjoining pressures in the convex and concave regions were well-balanced. We thus quantitatively demonstrated that the concave-convex film structure was induced by the disjoining pressure gradient between the irradiated and non-irradiated regions.
