S. Cohen, J.C. Liu, et al.
MRS Spring Meeting 1999
The degradation of Z-dol catalyzed by Lewis acid centers on the slider surface leads to chain scission forming one type of fragment terminated with a fluorocarbonyl end-group and the other with a trifluoromethoxy end-group. The former, in contact with humid air, converts to a fluorinated carboxylic acid Z-COOH. Z-COOH is an excellent scavenger for alkali or alkaline earth metal ions. Z-COO-M+ thus formed is a strong surfactant, and, in a humid environment, forms microdroplets embodying water in the core. Metal ions thus scavenged on a disk surface can be readily detected by TOF-SIMS, and the microdroplets by optical microscopy in the dark-field mode. The presence of fragments having a trifluoromethoxy end-group on the disk surface can also be established by TOM-SIMS. A careful intensity analysis of peaks due to anions having a trifluoromethoxy end-group permits a semi-quantitative assessment of the extent of degradation. The study has also shown that degradation is caused by such production processes as tape-polishing and by such disk drive operations as the head flying over a single track or over a band in a seek-mode.
S. Cohen, J.C. Liu, et al.
MRS Spring Meeting 1999
J.W.M. Frenken, R.J. Hamers, et al.
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces and Films
C.E. Murray, K.P. Rodbell, et al.
Thin Solid Films
Victor Y. Lee, Karen Havenstrite, et al.
Advanced Materials