Optical recording applications of reactive ion beam sputter deposited thin-film composites

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Abstract
Metal/metal oxide and metal/metal nitride thin-film composites (metal=In,Cu) have been prepared by reactive ion beam sputter deposition (RIBSD) and incorporated into antireflection trilayer structures. The RIBSD technique produces thin, homogeneous films whose complex index of refraction can be reproducibly varied. We find the In/InOx composite to have extremely favorable characteristics for optical recording, such as an optimized 0.25-nJ threshold sensitivity, a reflection contrast ratio higher than 60, and good environmental stability. Repeated write-erase cycles have demonstrated a fast reversible phase change which occurs without noticeable degradation in reflection contrast.