AVS 46th International Symposium
    Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Technical Group Tuesday Sessions
       Session MI+VM+AS-TuM

Paper MI+VM+AS-TuM8
High Resolution FE-Auger Electron Spectroscopy: Applications in Magnetic Recording, Heads and Media

Tuesday, October 26, 1999, 10:40 am, Room 618/619

Session: Magnetic Recording: Media
Presenter: C.A. Fenno, Seagate Technology - Colorado Design Center
Correspondent: Click to Email
As the Disk Drive Industry pushes toward higher capacity, smaller form factors, and better performance, head and disc design has changed considerably. Technological advances have resulted in decreased dimensions; thinner layers on the disc and within the head reader element, and lower flight heights. As a result the tools used in material characterization requires improved spatial resolution, increased depth resolution and increased spectral resolution. One answer to the challenge of evaluation and characterization of smaller disc and head features is FE-Auger Electron Spectroscopy. FE-Auger provides elemental analysis with excellent spatial resolution. In the best case the electron spot size can achieve 20nm although in the practical case on disc and head features an electron spot size of 60-100nm is more typical. Features of sub-micron dimensions are routinely analyzed with FE-Auger. In some cases high spectral resolution FE-Auger data can reveal chemistry as in the case of titanium-, silicon-, and aluminum-based particles as well as in the case of some oxides and carbides. This chemical data is obtained from particular energy shifts or peak shape change from the respective materials. This presentation will show several examples where the high spatial and spectral resolution available with FE-Auger was instrumental in diagnoses in drive failure analysis.