Dynamical Theory of Crystallization in Ge 2 Sb 2 : 3 Te 5 Phase-Change Optical Recording

We develop a theory of the crystallization dynamics of Ge 2 Sb 2:3 Te 5 thin lms which shows good qualitative agreement with experimental reeectivity results from a two-laser static tester. The theory is adapted from the nucle-ation theory of liquid droplets from supersaturated vapor, and elucidates the physics underlying the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transformation under short pulse excitation. In particular, the theory provides a physical picture in which crystalline islands, or basic embryos, are thermally activated in the amorphous material and subsequently grow as stable nuclei are formed.

[1]  C. Peng,et al.  Experimental and theoretical investigations of laser-induced crystallization and amorphization in phase-change optical recording media , 1997 .

[2]  S. Koch.  Dynamics of First-Order Phase Transitions in Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Systems , 1984 .

[3]  Isao Satoh,et al.  Key technology for high density rewritable DVD (DVD-RAM) , 1998 .

[4]  Hiroyuki Minemura,et al.  Three-dimensional analysis of overwritable phase-change optical disks , 1990 .

[5]  H. S. Green,et al.  A Kinetic Theory of Liquids , 1947, Nature.

[6]  James E. McDonald,et al.  Homogeneous Nucleation of Vapor Condensation. I. Thermodynamic Aspects , 1962 .

[7]  D. Gravesteijn.  Materials developments for write-once and erasable phase-change optical recording. , 1988, Applied optics.

[8]  Tetsuya Akiyama,et al.  High-sensitivity overwritable phase-change optical disk for PD systems , 1995, Other Conferences.

[9]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[10]  Kenneth F. Kelton,et al.  Transient nucleation in condensed systems , 1983 .

[11]  J. H. Coombs,et al.  Laser‐induced crystallization phenomena in GeTe‐based alloys. I. Characterization of nucleation and growth , 1995 .

[12]  V. E. Wood,et al.  Decoupling approximation for the nonlinear-optical response of composite media , 1989 .

[13]  O. Heavens.  Thin-film Optical Filters , 1986 .

[14]  Motoyasu Terao,et al.  Novel 1-beam-overwriting Method for Phase-change Erasable Disk , 1987 .

[15]  Hang Chen,et al.  The structure and crystallization characteristics of phase change optical disk material Ge1Sb2Te4 , 1995 .