Magnetic head with air bearing surface protection film
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the invention provide an air bearing surface protection film having good corrosive resistance, electrical insulative property and mechanical wear resistance in the state of an extremely thin film. In one embodiment, an air bearing surface protection film having good corrosive resistance, electrical insulative property and mechanical wear resistance in a state of an extremely thin film is obtained by disposing a thin silicon nitride film having high density, high electric resistance, chemical stability and high adhesion with a substrate as a lowermost air bearing surface protection film and disposing a film comprising tetrahedral amorphous carbon and nitrogen as an uppermost air bearing surface protection film.
1. A magnetic head in which a surface of a magnetic read/write device facing a magnetic recording medium is covered with a protection film,
wherein the protection film comprises a stack of a plurality of films including:
a lowermost layer for an air bearing surface protection film as a layer in contact with the magnetic read/write device comprises a layer containing nitrogen and silicon; and
an uppermost layer for an air bearing surface protection film as a layer positioned at the uppermost surface of the air bearing surface protection film comprises a layer containing tetrahedral amorphous carbon and nitrogen.
2. A magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein the film comprising tetrahedral amorphous carbon and nitrogen constituting the uppermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a hydrogen content of about 25 atomic % or less, when measured on a magnetic head, and the Raman intensity ratio (B/A) between one peak (A) present at about 1500 to 1600 cm −1 and the other peak (B) present at about 1200 to 1450 cm −1 is about 0.0 or more and about 0.4 or less.
3. A magnetic head according to claim 2 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a thickness of about 0.5 nm or more.
4. A magnetic head according to claim 3 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a thickness of about 2 nm or less.
5. A magnetic head according to claim 4 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a nitrogen content of about 45 atomic % or more and about 57 atomic % or less.
6. A magnetic head according to claim 2 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a nitrogen content of about 45 atomic % or more and about 57 atomic % or less.
7. A magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a thickness of about 0.5 nm or more.
8. A magnetic head according to claim 7 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a thickness of about 2 nm or less.
9. A magnetic head according to claim 8 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a nitrogen content of about 45 atomic % or more and about 57 atomic % or less.
10. A magnetic head according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon nitride film constituting the lowermost layer for the air bearing surface protection film has a nitrogen content of about 45 atomic % or more and about 57 atomic % or less.