Process of surface modification of magnetic heads by a reactive gas with CF3 groups

摘要

A process is described for the modification of the outermost atomic layer of a substrate, such as a carbon layer having hydrogen atoms bonded at the surface, in a plasma chamber to covalently bond carbon-flourine groups such as CF3 groups to carbon atoms in the surface. After establishing a plasma process in which both etching and deposition are ocurring, a fluorinated gas is injected into the chamber to allow CF3 groups to bond to the surface. The process does not apply of a layer with a defined thickness, but rather conditions the surface for desired properties of high affinity for lubricants and low affinity for contaminants. The invention is particularly useful for heads and disks for use in magnetic recording.