Study of the partial crystallization properties of phase-change optical recording disks

The partial crystallization propel-ties of Ge1Sb2Te4 phase-change optical disks are studied using two methods. The first one involves annealing of the samples in a vacuum oven while controlling annealing time and temperature, while the second one involves the use of a static tester. A difference in reflectivity was observed, indicating that different crystallization fractions give rise to different reflection levels. The optical constants of amorphous, partial and full crystaline states were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The optical constant of the partial crystalline state was calculated under the assumption that the partial crystalline stale is a combination of full crystalline and amorphous stares. The crystallization fraction was determined by simulating the refractive index of the partial crystalline state. The stability of the partially crystalized disk was measured for more than 200 days demonstrating that the partially crystallied disk is very stable. A possible recording strategy using the multilevel reflection to realize multi-level reflection modulation recording in write-once media is discussed.