Whatever Happened To...

Diamond-Film Hard Disks?

Nick Baran

(see "Diamond Film Has Promise for Tough Hard Disks," May 1989 BYTE)

Six years ago, BYTE's Microbytes section reported on promising research in the use of diamond coatings for hard disks and that such hard disks were only "one to three years away," according to Stig Hagstrom, a Stanford University materials science professor. Being the hardest-known raw material and with a very low coefficient of friction and very high heat-resistance, diamond-film-coated hard disks would be more durable and reliable than the current oxide and metalplated variety.

Today, diamond-film hard disks are still in the laboratory and not in the marketplace. Ainissa Ramirez, a graduate student working with Hagstrom, says the main obstacle to diamond on film is the difficulty in producing a smooth surface. The other problem is that the high temperatures required for depositing the film on the substrate tend to damage the substrate. These problems were raised in our original article, but the researchers seemed optimistic that they would be solved in the near future.

However, as is often the case with many such undertakings, it is often a much greater leap than anticipated in moving from the laboratory to commercial production. Yet Ramirez is still optimistic. "We're still interested in diamond film." He says that diamond-film hard disks may be feasible within the next few years. We'll keep you posted.