Z-Tetraol Reflow in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

Abstract

Lubricant reflow for Z-Tetraol is characterized for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). The thickness-dependent diffusion constant, D(h), is determined from flow experiments for submonolayer Z-Tetraol films between 2.5 and 13 Å. Fickian diffusion using experimental D(h) values are used to numerically simulate lubricant reflow into HAMR laser-depleted troughs as a function of trough number, trough depth, trough distance and trough width. Reflow is computed to be slower for multiple, wider and deeper troughs. Reflow kinetics as a function of trough separation distance is complicated by adjacent trough interactions. Two major kinetic regimes are identified. Multiple troughs that have not coalesced recover more quickly. Once multiple troughs coalesce into a single larger trough, reflow kinetics is drastically slowed. The crossover time between the two kinetic regimes is computed to be approximately 400 millisec for the system under investigation here, but will be a strong function of trough number, width, depth and separation distances. The simulation of multiple troughs provides significant insight into HAMR conditions. Single trough lubricant studies may be misleading for HAMR systems.