Pole tip recession studies of hard carbon-coated thin-film tape heads

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Abstract
Hard carbon coatings were deposited by cathodic arc and direct ion beam deposition techniques on thin‐film Al2O3–TiC heads and by the latter technique on thin‐film Ni–Zn ferrite heads. Functional accelerated tests were conducted against metal particle tapes in a linear tape drive. Ion beam carbon coatings on Ni–Zn ferrite and Al2O3–TiC heads substantially reduced the pole tip recession observed with uncoated heads. Cathodic arc carbon coated Al2O3–TiC heads performed better than uncoated heads, but were less effective than the ion beam coating. Pole tip recession increased only if carbon was removed from the pole tip. This suggests that coating effectiveness is determined by its adherence to the pole tip. In two‐wide pole tip heads, wear of the pole adjacent to the substrate was less than that of the other pole. Coatings withstood accelerated tests and may meet life time requirements of future heads.