Three-dimensional characterization of near-field transducers by electron tomography

Journal Article · Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Materials Characterization

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATCHAR.2012.07.011· OSTI ID:22163138

Liu, Yuzi ^[1]; Schreiber, Daniel K. ^[1]; Petford-Long, Amanda K. ^[1]; Gao, Kai-Zhong ^[2]

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1. Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)
2. Head and Media R and D, Seagate Technology, Bloomington, MN 55435 (United States)

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. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Very site specific TEM specimen prepared by dual-beam SEM/FIB system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Near field transducer characterization by STEM tomography. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Elemental analysis in 2D by STEM-EDX.

• OSTI ID: 22163138
• Journal Information: Materials Characterization, Vol. 72, Issue Complete; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1044-5803
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ELECTRONS
HEAT TRANSFER
MICROSTRUCTURE
PARTICLES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
TOMOGRAPHY
TRANSDUCERS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY