Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is on the magnetic recording industry’s roadmap of next generation recording technology. The high temperature writing condition creates several reliability challenges for the head disk interface (HDI). Material buildup, or so-called smear, that accumulates between the head and the media is one key challenge. Our previous studies found that the material transfer is mainly driven by the high temperature and mechanical interaction between the head and media. In this paper, we systematically studied the role of the media in the smear formation and transfer process. We identified at least two different types of smear and the critical temperatures for their formation and transfer. Furthermore, we found that optimizing the media process, particularly the magnetic layer and lubricant, could help to reduce smear. This study helps in understanding the smear formation mechanism and explores methods to mitigate smear for HAMR drives.

热辅助磁记录（HAMR）是磁记录行业下一代记录技术的发展方向。高温写入条件为磁头磁盘接口（HDI）带来了几项可靠性挑战。头部和介质之间积聚的材料堆积或所谓的污迹是一项主要挑战。我们以前的研究发现，材料的转移主要是由磁头和介质之间的高温和机械相互作用驱动的。在本文中，我们系统地研究了介质在涂片形成和转移过程中的作用。我们确定了至少两种不同类型的涂片以及它们形成和转移的临界温度。此外，我们发现优化介质工艺，尤其是磁性层和润滑剂，可以帮助减少拖影。