Magnetic recording head and media comprising aluminum oxynitride underlayer and a diamond-like carbon overcoat

A protected magnetic read/write head comprising:

• the read/write head;
• a protective bilayer formed on the head, the bilayer further comprising:
• an adhesion enhancing underlayer formed as a layer of an oxynitride of an aluminum alloy, MezAlOxNy, on a cleaned substrate surface of the head, where Mez is an alloying element having relative atom percentage z;
• a DLC outer layer formed on the underlayer.

A surface-protected magnetic disk comprising:

• the magnetic disk;
• a surface-protecting bilayer formed on the disk, the bilayer comprising:
• an adhesion enhancing underlayer formed of an aluminum oxynitride, AlOxNy, formed on said disk;
• and
• a DLC overlayer formed on said underlayer.

A surface-protected magnetic disk comprising:

• the magnetic disk;
• a surface-protecting bilayer formed on the disk, the bilayer comprising:
• an adhesion enhancing underlayer formed of an oxynitride of an aluminum alloy, MezAlOxNy, on a cleaned substrate surface of the head, where Mez is an alloying element having relative atom percentage z;
• formed on said disk;
• and
• a DLC overlayer formed on said underlayer.

A method of forming a protected read/write head, a plurality of protected read/write heads or a surface protected magnetic disk comprising:

• providing the magnetic disk, the read/write head or the plurality thereof;
• cleaning appropriate surfaces of the disk, the read/write head or the plurality thereof;
• forming on said surfaces an Al, or TiAl, or SiAl, or CrAl oxynitride adhesion layer;
• forming on said underlayer a DLC layer.