Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1571381 Materials Characterization 2012 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to study the structure of near-field transducers (NFT) for applications in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) heads. The overall shape of NFTs that had passed or failed an optical test was similar, as determined by scanning transmission electron microscopy tomography. However, the absence of a well-defined peg and the presence of a flat top on the ‘FAIL’ NFT disk induced poor thermal heat transfer from the NFT to the phase change medium and resulted in the optical test failure. The thermal heating around the NFT led to Ta diffusion from the adjacent tantala core and to the presence of Ta-rich particles in the alumina matrix in the plane of the NFT.

► Very site specific TEM specimen prepared by dual-beam SEM/FIB system. ► Near field transducer characterization by STEM tomography. ► Elemental analysis in 2D by STEM-EDX.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Materials Science (General)
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