Table 1 List of samples.

BM

CoCrPt-oxide-based BM without COC and lube

BML

CoCrPt-oxide-based BM without COC, with PFPE lube (1.2 ± 0.2 nm)

CMC

CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM+COC (~2.7 nm) without lube

CMCL

CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM+COC (~2.7 nm)+PFPE lube (~1 nm)

1LG

1LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

2LG

2LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

3LG

3LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

4LG

4LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

1LGL

PFPE lube (1.2 ± 0.2)nm-coated 1LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

2LGL

PFPE lube (1.2 ± 0.2)nm-coated 2LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

3LGL

PFPE lube (1.2 ± 0.2)nm-coated 3LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

4LGL

PFPE lube (1.2 ± 0.2)nm-coated 4LG on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

3CF

FCVA-deposited ta-C (~0.3 nm) on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

6CF

FCVA-deposited ta-C (~0.6 nm) on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

12CF

FCVA-deposited ta-C (~1.2 nm) on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

18CF

FCVA-deposited ta-C (~1.8 nm) on CoCrPt-oxide-based commercial HDM

8CS

Pulsed DC sputtered sp² rich carbon (~0.8 nm) on CoCrPt-oxide commercial HDM

12CS

Pulsed DC sputtered sp² rich carbon (~1.2 nm) on CoCrPt-oxide commercial HDM

FePt

FePt/MgO/CrRu/glass samples grown by magnetron sputtering. CrRu and MgO seed layers are grown at 400 °C and 1.5 mTorr; FePt is grown at 600 °C and 3.5 mTorr as discussed in ref. ²².