title: Crystallization studies on phase-change optical recording media by use of a two-dimensional periodic mark array.
abstract: We present the results of crystallization studies in thin-film samples of amorphous and crystalline Ge(x)Sb(y)Te(z). The experiments, conducted at moderately elevated temperatures, are based on measurements of the first-order diffraction efficiency from a two-dimensional periodic array of recorded marks. When the samples are slowly heated above room temperature, changes in the efficiencies of various diffracted orders give information about the on-going crystallization process within the sample. Two different compositions of the GeSbTe alloy are used in these experiments. Measurements on Ge(2)Sb(2.3)Te(5) films show crystallization dominated by nucleation. For the Sb-rich eutectic composition Ge-(SbTe), crystallization is found to be dominated by growth from crystalline boundaries. We also show that crystalline marks written by relatively high-power laser pulses are different in their optical properties from the regions crystallized by slow heating of the sample to moderate temperatures.
authors: X
authors: X
authors: Xun
authors: J K
authors: JK
authors: Erwin
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Bletscher
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Choi
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Kallenbach
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mansuripur