Measurement of wear of carbon coated sliders using atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy

Wear of carbon coated sub-ambient pressure “pico” sliders is investigated during sweep testing as a function of interference height, slider design and sliding distance using atomic force microscopy. The wear results from atomic force microscopy measurements are compared with wear measurements of the carbon overcoat using Raman spectroscopy. The effect of interference on wear and disk burnishing is studied using acoustic emission measurements and atomic force microscopy. The results show that wear of a slider is higher for larger interference height and higher stiffness of the air-bearing.