The nitrogen doping effect on the properties of Ge–In–Sb–Te phase-change recording media investigated by blue-light laser

Abstract

This work investigates the thermal, optical and recrystallization properties as well as the microstructure of nitrogen-doped Ge–In–Sb–Te (GIST) phase-change material when irradiated by blue-light laser. The experimental results showed that nitrogen doping at the condition of N 2/Ar sputtering gas flow ratio equals to 3% might enhance the recrystallization speed of GIST recording layer up to 1.5 times. However, the disk failed when too much nitrogen (N 2/Ar ≥ 5.0%) was introduced. The data obtained by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and ellipsometry revealed changes of thermal and optical properties due to the nitrogen doping in GIST. When appropriate amount of nitrogen was added, the activation energy ( E a) of amorphous–crystalline phase transition of GIST decreased and the optical constants of amorphous and crystalline phases (except the k value of amorphous phase) gradually reduced with the increase of wavelength in the range of 600–750 nm. Modulation simulation based on the reflectively of doped GIST layers obtained from static test indicated that appropriate nitrogen doping benefited the signal characteristics of optical disks. Transmission electron microscopy observed numerous tiny precipitates uniformly distributed in the doped GIST layers. These were believed to be nitride particles generated by nitrogen doping that might offer the preferential sites for amorphous–crystalline phase transition so that the recrystallization speed was accelerated.