Nanoscale interface mechanics with application to magnetic storage

The study of the mechanics and dynamics of nanoscale interfaces is of great interest, particularly for cutting-edge applications such as magnetic storage, which arguably constitutes the most successful application of nanotechnology. The goal in magnetic storage is to increase the recording density by reducing the physical spacing between the magnetic layer of the disk and the recording elements, which, in commercial hard disk drives, is of the order of few nanometers. Achieving this goal entails the understanding of the physics at the head-disk interface and being able to reliably predict system performance in terms of flyability and contact. This dissertation presents continuum, physics-based models of the head-disk interface that were validated through comparisons with experimental and atomistic simulation data. A novel model is presented for dynamic contact with molecularly thin lubricant layers that exhibit solid-like responses under extremely high shear rates. The limits of continuum theory were investigated based on experimentally measured response of such lubricant layers and accounted for during lubricant contact. The comprehensive models were used to investigate and optimize the design of hard disk drives for near-contact recording. Having reached the physical limits of traditional magnetic recording, these models should prove useful in the design and implementation of future nanotechnologies