JPS62209742A - Optical information recording member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a recording member having excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance by providing a thin film consisting of at least Te, Ge and Sb. CONSTITUTION:The recording layer is constituted of the thin film consisting of the Te-Ge-Sb compsn. Since the bond of Te-Sb is immediately formed at the time of solidifying from the melt by addition of the Sb, the rate of crystallization is increased and a practicable rewriting type memory medium is realized. The amt. of the Sb to be added fixes the remaining excess Te bound with the Ge and therefore, the necessary concn. of the Sb is governed by the ratio of the Te/Ge and the adequate rate thereof is within the region enclosed by the points: point A1: (Te80Ge5Sb15), point B1: (Te55Ge5Sb40), point C1: (Te45Ge15 Sb40), point D1: (Te4Ge40Sb15), and point E1: (Te57Ge40Sb3). The medium having the excellent thermal stability of a recording signal is thus obtd. without considerably deteriorating the recording sensitively by laser light, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an optical information recording member capable of recording, erasing, and reproducing information at high speed and high density using light, heat, or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, optical discs using laser beams have been attracting attention as the amount of information increases, recording and reproducing speeds increase, and densities increase. Optical discs include write-once types that can be recorded only once, and rewritable types that can be used many times by erasing recorded signals. Some write-once optical discs reproduce recorded signals in a perforated state, and others reproduce them by generating unevenness. T e -G, which utilizes reversible phase change between amorphous and crystal, is rewritable.
E-based chalcogenide glass thin films are well known.

The present inventors previously proposed a method in which a change in reflectance due to phase transition of a system containing an oxide such as T e -T e O2 is used as a signal. Furthermore, various additives (Sn, Ge, Bi, In, etc.) are added to Te-TaO2 to create a rewritable optical disk that utilizes phase transition.

Examples include Pb, 'Ill, Se, etc.). These recording members are characterized by a high C/N ratio and excellent moisture resistance.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Conventional rewritable information recording members made of chalcogenides generally have the drawback of poor stability against repeated recording and erasing.

The reason for this is thought to be that when Te, Ge and other additive components are repeated several times, phase separation occurs in the membrane, and the constituent components of the membrane are different at the initial stage and after the repetition. When utilizing phase transition in an erasable optical disc, a method is usually used in which the unrecorded and erased state is crystalline and the recorded state is amorphous. In this case, recording is done using a laser beam, which melts the film and then rapidly cools it to make it amorphous.However, current semiconductor lasers have power limitations, and films with as low a melting point as possible have the highest recording sensitivity. become. For this reason, in order to improve the recording sensitivity, the film composed of two consecutive chalcogenides has a composition with a melting point as low as possible, that is, a film composition with a large amount of Te. However, the fact that Te is present in a larger amount than other additive components means that phase separation is more likely to occur during repeated cycles. Therefore, the excess T added to lower the melting point
How e is fixed and the composition is made so that it does not easily move will have a large effect on the repeatability and the temporal fluctuation of the CNR1 erasure rate.

Recording members containing oxides also have drawbacks as described below. That is, the erasure rate decreases due to repeated recording and re-erasing.

A rewritable optical disc usually records in a crystalline initial state and an amorphous recording state. The erasure is made crystalline like the initial state.

This phase transition between crystalline and amorphous states of the recording member is achieved by changing the conditions of slow cooling and rapid cooling using a laser.

That is, after heating with laser light, it becomes crystalline by slow cooling, and becomes amorphous by rapid cooling. Therefore record,
Through repeated erasing, the film passes through crystalline and amorphous states many times. In this case, if an oxide is present in the film, the viscosity of the film is high, so the migration of chalcogenide is reduced, and segregation of the film composition is likely to occur. Furthermore, since the presence of oxides reduces the thermal conductivity of the film itself, a difference in temperature distribution occurs between the film thickness on the laser light incident side and the opposite side, and segregation of film composition also occurs. For these reasons, films containing oxides have the disadvantage that their characteristics gradually change due to repeated recording and erasing.

The purpose of this proposal is to improve the repeatability of films containing oxides as described above, and also to address the shortcomings of conventional compositions made of chalcogenides (low C/N, insufficient erasure rate, moisture resistance, etc.). The object of the present invention is to provide an optical information recording member that overcomes the following problems: poor heat resistance, poor heat resistance, and insufficient repeatability.

Means for Solving the Problems The recording layer in the present invention is a thin film made of a Te-Ge-8b composition, and further includes Te and Ge.

It is composed of materials within the region connecting points A, B, C, D, and E in FIG. 1, which is a composition diagram showing the range of the Sb atomic ratio.

Function The feature of the present invention is that Sb is added to the Te-Ge system to fix excess Te. This Sb combines with Te to form a compound Sb2Te, which has a melting point of 600°C in a Te-Ge-8b system with a Te concentration of 50 at% or more.
Become a neighborhood. This temperature is the eutectic composition of Te-Ge, Te-
It is nearly 200℃ higher than 8n etc.

This means that the thermal transition temperature (the temperature at which the amorphous state transitions from an amorphous state to a crystalline state upon heating) of the composition having the above structure is high, and the thermal stability is high.
e. When using an Sb-based thin film as a rewritable memory medium (the crystalline state is heated and rapidly cooled to become amorphous,
(This is usually used as the recording state), the recording portion in this amorphous state becomes stable against heating, thereby ensuring the long-term stability of the recorded information. On the other hand, Te-Ge has a stoichiometric composition.

Te-8n or 1゛e. Ge5o, T+,,5
The melting point is approximately 150°C lower than that of the n5o composition. This means that when recording is performed by heating and melting a minute portion of a crystalline memory thin film and then rapidly cooling it to make it amorphous, less energy is required for recording. From the above, a rewritable memory medium with excellent thermal stability of recorded signals can be obtained without significantly reducing the recording sensitivity by laser light or the like.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. The optical information recording member of the present invention is made of Te-Ge-5b. In the present invention, Te alone or combined with Ge or Sb is considered to be the component mainly responsible for the change in optical density in the amorphous state and the crystalline state. In the Te-Ge system, the stoichiometric composition of Te5oG
The melting point of e and o is about 725° C., and to heat and melt them and rapidly cool them to make them amorphous, a large amount of energy is required, for example, a large laser power is required when a laser beam is used. In addition, in the Te-Ge system with eutectic composition,
Its melting point is about 375°C, and the laser power required for recording is small, but as mentioned above, the presence of excess Te in this system tends to cause Te-TeGe division, which causes amorphization and crystallization. If this is repeated, the film composition will become non-uniform, resulting in a noise component. Te-
The melting point of Ge-based materials varies somewhat depending on the composition, but is approximately 600°C to 630°C. Therefore, T
It requires less recording laser power than the e-Ge system.

Furthermore, the crystallization rate is improved by combining Te with Sb. This is because when free Te exists, when it is crystallized from the melt by slow cooling, Te in the melt state has three coordinations, which are retained when it is cooled.

Since 2-coordination is stable in the crystalline state, the crystallization rate is slow because it is necessary to change the 3-coordination bond once frozen to 2-coordination. However, when the melt is solidified by the addition of Sb, Te-8b bonds are immediately created and stabilized.

Therefore, the crystallization speed is improved, and a practical rewritable memory medium can be realized.

Since the amount of Sb added fixes the remaining excess Te combined with Ge, the required Sb concentration is controlled by the amount of Te/Ge. FIG. 1 shows the appropriate range of a recording member made of Te-Ge-8b of the present invention. In FIG. 1, each point has the following composition.

A1 point: (T es o G e,, S b□s )
B, point: (T B55 G et, S b *.) 0
1 point” (T B46 Gels S b4o) D
1 point: (Te45Ge4゜5b1s) 21 points: (Ta
=yGe,,,5b3) The amount of Sb added is Te-Ge-8
It varies depending on the composition ratio of the b series. For example, in a region with a high Ge concentration, the Sb concentration is relatively low because the crystallization rate is faster than that of Te-Ge, and in a region with a small Ge component, the crystallization rate is slow, so it is necessary to add a relatively high concentration of Sb. do.

If it is outside the above range, for example, on the Ge (rich) side, Ge--TeGe with a high melting point becomes the base material, and therefore extremely high power is required for recording, making it unsuitable as a memory material. Furthermore, on the Te (rich) side, the thermal transition temperature from amorphous to crystal drops to around 100° C., making it impossible to obtain a memory medium with excellent thermal stability. Further 5b
On the (rich) side, it becomes difficult to obtain optical contrast between the signals of the recorded portion and the unrecorded portion, and sufficient recording characteristics cannot be obtained.

For the reasons stated above, the present invention is limited to the range surrounded by the point A□-BI Cx Dl El in FIG. That is, Te-G e - within this range
When a composition of Sb is used, it is practically possible to record, erase, and rewrite information by utilizing the reversibility between crystalline and amorphous states.

Next, the area surrounded by points A2-82-C2-D and -E2 in FIG. 1 will be described. This area is defined by the range surrounded by points A1-B, -C1-D, and -E1 in Figure 1.
This shows a more practical composition range.

In FIG. 1, A2. B2. c2. D2. E
The composition of each point in No. 2 is shown below.

A2 points: T C7a Ges S b14B2 points:
Tel, □Ge11Sb3°C2 point: Te5n Ge, oSb,.

D2 points: Te5o G ego S bz.

Point B2: Te6oGe3oSb1゜The thermal transition temperature from amorphous to crystal in this region is 13
It is 0°C to 195°C. A2 has the lowest transition temperature, B
2. C2, D2. As the Ge or Sb concentration increases in the direction of B2, the thermal transition temperature increases. Especially G
It is highly dependent on e concentration. This point A, -B2-C2-
The area surrounded by D2-E2 has excellent thermal stability and laser light recording sensitivity.

In Figure 1, compositions outside the range of A2-B, -C2-D2-E and within the range of A1-B1-C1-Dl-E are used depending on the use and purpose. is necessary. That is, in the above composition, Ge(rich)
Although it requires somewhat higher laser power on the side, it has excellent thermal stability. Furthermore, on the Te (ri, ch) side, a memory medium with extremely high sensitivity can be obtained, although the thermal stability is slightly inferior.

The effect of adding Sb to the Te-Ge system generally increases the thermal transition temperature, which refers to the thermal stability of the memory medium, as well as lowers the melting point of the film and facilitates amorphization.

For the reasons stated above, the optimal composition of Te-Ge-5b of the present invention is limited.

Next, a method for manufacturing an optical information recording member according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical disc constructed using the recording layer of the present invention. In Fig. 2, 1 and 5 indicate the substrates, and the materials are polycarbonate, acrylic resin,
It is possible to use transparent substrates such as glass, polyester, etc.

2.4 is a protective layer provided inside the substrates 1 and 5, and various oxides, sulfides, and carbides can be used. The protective layers 2 and 4 prevent thermal deterioration of the base material due to repeated recording and erasing of the recording film 3 interposed therebetween, and further protect the recording film 3 from humidity. Therefore, the material and thickness of the protective layer 2.4 are determined from the above-mentioned viewpoints.

The recording film 3 is formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like. In the case of vapor deposition, it is preferable to use a three-source vapor deposition machine capable of individually vapor depositing each composition because a uniform film can be formed.

The thickness of the recording film 3 is set to a value that matches the optical properties of the protective layers 2 and 4, that is, a value that allows a large difference in reflectance between recorded and unrecorded areas.

The present invention will be explained in detail below using specific examples.

Example 1 Using an electron beam evaporator capable of three-source evaporation, Te, G
e, Sb were simultaneously deposited onto the substrate from each source. The substrate used was a glass plate with a thickness of 0.3 mm and a diameter of 8 mm. Vapor deposition was carried out at a vacuum degree of I x 1 (1-'5 Torr, a rotation speed of the substrate of 1.5 Orpm, and a film thickness of 1000 people. The deposition rate from the source is the Te in the recording film.

The ratio of the numbers of Ge and Sb atoms was changed in order to adjust the ratio. The composition ratios in Table 1 are values converted from this vapor deposition rate, but when representative compositions were analyzed using an X-ray microanalyzer (XMA), quantitative results almost the same as the starting values were obtained. . Therefore, it seems that the feed composition in the table is the same in the film.

The evaluation method of the test piece produced by the above manufacturing method is described below.

[Transition temperature]

The term "transition temperature" refers to the starting temperature at which a film in an amorphous state immediately after vapor deposition changes to a crystalline state due to heat.

The measurement was carried out using a device capable of measuring the transmittance of a membrane at a temperature at which the transmittance starts to decrease when the temperature of the test piece is raised by a heater at a heating rate of 1° C./sec. A high transition temperature means that the film is thermally stable.

[Blackening, whitening properties]

The blackening property indicates the rate of transformation from amorphous to crystalline, and the whitening property indicates the rate of transition from crystalline to amorphous.

The measurement was carried out using a device that focused a laser beam on a recording film on a glass piece of φ8IIInl using a lens, and was able to move the sample piece vertically and horizontally. The laser beam spot is 45×O, 4 μm, pulse width 200 ns, power density], 0.6 m W/pr! , the wavelength is 900n
It was set as m.

The blackening characteristics are determined by observing the speed of transformation (from amorphous to crystalline) when the specimen is moved relatively slowly.The speed is sufficiently fast and the contrast ratio between the unrecorded area and the recorded area is sufficient. The larger one is marked as @. × indicates that the image does not turn black even when moved slowly, or that the contrast ratio is small. 0. Δ is located between ◎ and ×. In this qualitative expression, the practical blackening characteristic is 0 or more.

Next, we will discuss the whitening properties. When looking at the whitening characteristics, first, the specimen is blackened, and then the specimen is quickly moved over it to create a rapid cooling condition, and then the whitening (from crystalline to amorphous) is observed.
let A whitening state of O indicates that the whitening occurs even if the moving speed is relatively slow, and the contrast ratio between the amorphous portion and the crystalline portion is large. × indicates no whitening at all.

○ and Δ are located between ◎ and ×.

According to the above expression, if both blackening and whitening properties are very good, it will be ◎ or ◎, but in reality, if the moving speed is the same and both are ◎, it is a desirable material that has little advantage. So, ◎.

○, ◎, or Δ, indicating that the blackening properties are somewhat excellent.

Table 1 shows the results of the transition temperature and blackening and whitening properties of the films prepared within the scope of the present invention.

As is clear from the results in Table 1, the Te-Ge-8b recording thin film within the scope of the present invention can be blackened and whitened. In other words, recording members within this range are
By appropriately selecting heating conditions, such as the irradiation intensity and irradiation time of the laser beam, it is possible to take on either an amorphous state or a crystalline state, and optically record information. and can be erased.

Example 2 Thickness 1.2 m with tracks for light guide as substrate
Using a polycarbonate resin base material of mXφ200mm,
An optical disc was prototyped using a thin film having a composition of Te65Ge15Sb2o as a recording film.

First, a ZnS thin film was deposited on the substrate as a heat-resistant layer for 900 minutes, a recording layer was deposited on top of it to a thickness of about 1,000 deposits, and then a ZnS thin film was deposited as a heat-resistant layer for 1,800 deposits on top of that.

A focused laser beam was irradiated using an optical system from the substrate side of this optical disk to record a signal, and immediately erase the signal. Prior to recording, the spot shape is 1 μm x 10 μm.
A long elliptical laser beam of 14 mW was irradiated along the track to crystallize the recording film within the track, and then a laser beam narrowed to 0.9 μmφ was irradiated with an intensity of 8 mW. The recording frequency was 2 MHz, and the disk rotation speed was 5 m/s. At this time, the irradiated area was made amorphous and a signal was recorded along the track. When the C/N was measured using a spectrum analyzer, it was 5.
0 dB was obtained. When the above-mentioned long elliptical spot was irradiated onto this track, the signal was completely erased.

Example 3 Using the optical disc in Example 2, a life test was conducted for 80
The test was carried out at 80% RH. The test method was to record information in advance and observe the deterioration of C/N after holding under the above conditions. C/N decrease after 1 month is -0.5d
B, which was negligible.

Example 4 The recording and erasing repetition characteristics of the optical disc in Example 3 were evaluated. C after repeating recording and erasing 100,000 times
The decrease in /N was about 1 dB.

Effects of the Invention The Te-Ge-8b recording thin film according to the present invention has extremely excellent heat resistance and moisture resistance, and the film is not destroyed even after repeated recording and erasing. A recording member is obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a composition diagram showing the composition range of the optical information recording member according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the optical information recording member in one embodiment of the present invention. 1.5...Substrate, 2,4...Protective layer, 3...Recording film agent Yoshihiro MorimotoFigure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Optical information recording that is rewritable by reversible phase transition between amorphous and crystal, comprising at least Te, G
An optical information recording member comprising a thin film made of e and Sb. 2. In the composition diagram showing the composition range in which the atomic ratio of Te, Ge and Sb is A_1 (Te_8_0Ge_5Sb_1_5), B_1
(Te_5_5Ge_5Sb_4_0)C_1(Te_
4_5Ge_1_5Sb_4_0), D_1(Te_4
_5Ge_4_0Sb_1_5)E_1(Te_5_3
2. The optical information recording member according to claim 1, further comprising a thin film located within a region surrounded by each point of Ge_4_0Sb_7). 3. In the composition diagram showing the composition range in which the atomic ratio of Te, Ge and Sb is A_2 (Te_7_8Ge_8Sb_1_4), B_2
(Te_6_2Ge_8Sb_3_0)C_2(Te_
5_0Ge_2_0Sb_3_0), D_2(Te_5
_0Ge_3_0Sb_2_0)E_2(Te_6_0
2. The optical information recording member according to claim 1, further comprising a thin film located within a region surrounded by each point of Ge_3_0Sb_1_0).