In-situ sub-angstrom characterization of laser-lubricant interaction in a thermo-tribological system

Laser-lubricant interaction has been a critical reliability issue in a thermo-tribological system named heat-assisted magnetic recording, one of the next generation hard disk drive solutions to increasing data storage. The lubricant response under laser irradiation and the subsequent lubricant recovery are crucial to the system’s reliability and longevity, however, they cannot be diagnosed locally and timely so far. Here, we propose a thermal scheme to in-situ characterize the mechanical laser-lubricant interaction. The nanometer-thick lubricant has a thermal barrier effect on the near-field thermal transport in the system, according to which the lubricant thickness can be determined. As demonstrations, this paper reports the first quantitative in-situ measurements of the laser-induced lubricant depletion and the subsequent reflow dynamics. The proposed scheme shows a sub-angstrom resolution (~0.2 Å) and a fast response time within seconds, rendering in-situ real-time lubricant diagnosis feasible in the practical hard disk drive products. Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording hard disk drives offer a solution to increasing data storage. Cheng and colleagues demonstrate a near-field thermal transport-based scheme to in-situ measure the lubricant thickness during the lubricant depletion and reflow dynamics, a process crucial to the reliability and longevity of the system.