Hydrodynamic bearings and boundary lubricated system with DLC bumps

The present invention relates to the field of mass storage devices. More particularly, this invention relates to improving the tribological performance of bearings in a disc drive. A system for keeping the imperfectly machined surfaces of bearings apart at rest. The system includes a first bearing surface which moves facing a second bearing surface, the first surface having a distribution of discrete diamond-like carbon (DLC) pads deposited upon an adhesion layer. The DLC pads are at a height which is approximately the height of the roughness or imperfections of the surfaces. The pads are distributed over the surface at approximately three pads to forty pads or more per square inch. The pads keep the bearing surfaces from coming in contact. Also disclosed is a hydrodynamic bearing having a thrust plate having hydrodynamic grooves and DLC pads on a thrust surface, and a rotor member having an end facing the thrust plate, and a ball and socket bearing having DLC pads deposited on either the socket surface or ball surface.