| Author | Mejia, Shirley Domingo |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Science in
Microelectronics and Embedded Systems, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are used as protective coating on magnetic heads. Increasing storage capacity requires DLC films to be thinner and thus, its conformity and integrity is of interest in many studies and non-destructive tools and techniques are preferred for characterization. This study presented how conductive atomic force microscope (CAFM) characterizes the electrical property at the surface of the magnetic head with DLC coating. The DLC was deposited using filtered-cathodic arc (FCA) deposition technique that provides strong and uniform thin films. The characterization results showed DLC film with thickness of 20Å has the highest conductivity as it has the highest current rms signals at common sample bias voltage. As the film gets thicker, the current rms decrease exponentially which is due to the increasing sp3 content of DLC as the film becomes thicker. Meanwhile, DLC that is thinner than 20A also shows decreasing current rms indicating the presence of resistive material under or on the carbon surface. Transmission electron microscopy with electron energy loss spectroscopy (TEM-EELS) confirmed the presence of oxidized seed material on top of the carbon surface on ultra-thin films. Current signals on thin DLC, which were subjected to tribological wear, was also discussed. The current measurements implies that the resistivity of the film change as it goes thinner, however thinning of DLC have limitation as it may not provide the needed uniformity and integrity to the magnetic heads. |
| Year | 2014 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Industrial Systems Engineering (DISE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Microelectronics (ME) |
| Chairperson(s) | Mongkol Ekpanyapong; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Chanchana Thanchayanont;Bohez, Erik L.J.;Ruthe, Kurt; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Western Digital;AIT Fellowship; |