Effect of isotropic sub-micron crystallized texture of glass-ceramic disks on low glide, stiction, and CSS

Abstract

Near contact recording requires smoother surfaces with ultra-low Ra. Thus, micro-texture features at asperity-level which affect the overall tribological performance should be described by more surface parameters and/or their combinations instead of only those roughness height-dependent parameters. Our studies on sub-micron crystallized glass-ceramic disks indicate that the glide height avalanche for isotropic surfaces decreases with reductions in most parameters related to asperity height and profile shape, but it varies inversely with asperity spacing-related parameters. With proper combination of profile shape and spacing features, low stiction in 1-rpm and CSS tests on low Ra glass-ceramic disks can be achieved over larger ranges of roughness and lubricant thickness compared to cross-hatch textured NiP/Al disks.