JPH0335438A - Information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain good overwriting property by constituting a magnetic layer of an alloy with specified composition and providing a protective layer having >=1/3 of the thermal conductivity of the recording layer adjacent to the recording layer. CONSTITUTION:The recording layer 3 consists of an alloy expressed by (In100-xSbx)100-yTey (wherein x and y are atomic% of elements, satisfying 45<=x<=52 and 25<=y<=45), and the protective layers 2, 4 are specified to have >=1/3 of the thermal conductivity of the recording layer. By this constitution, the recording layer 3 can be easily and rapidly changed into a crystalline or amorphous state. A recorded area can be erased by cooling rapidly at a rate almost same as that of forming the amorphous state, and an amorphous recording pit 9 can be also easily formed. By providing the protective layers 2, 4, temp. of the recording layer 3 can be effectively controlled. Thereby, overwriting with one beam can be performed with good overwriting characteristics.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is directed to a phase change between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase in a recording layer by irradiating a light beam such as a laser beam. The present invention relates to an information recording medium, such as an optical disk, on which information can be recorded or erased by generating a

(Problem 8 to be solved by the prior art and the invention) Phase change type optical discs have been known as optical discs from which information can be erased. In such phase-change optical discs, information is recorded and erased by reversibly changing the irradiated portion of the recording layer between two different structural states depending on the irradiation conditions of the laser beam irradiated to the recording layer. do.

Examples of materials used for such optical discs include Te, Ge, TeGe, and InSe.

Semiconductors, semiconductor compounds, or intermetallic compounds such as 5bSe and 5bTe are known. These can take two states, a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase, depending on the laser beam irradiation conditions, and the complex refractive index N-n-1k in each state is different. The idea of creating an erasable optical memory by reversibly changing the state of the laser beam irradiated portion of the recording layer between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase through laser beam heat treatment is based on S, R, 0.
It has been proposed by vshlnsky et al. (Meta
Illurgical Transactions 2.
841 (1971)).

According to this, depending on the laser beam irradiation conditions, the irradiated area is selectively made into either a crystalline or amorphous state,
The information is reproduced by distinguishing between these two states based on the difference in reflectance caused by the irradiation of the reproduction laser beam. When recording information, the recording layer is irradiated with a high-power, short-pulse-width laser beam that can heat the recording layer to a temperature exceeding the melting point of the material, melting and rapidly cooling the irradiated area to form amorphous recording pits. Form. In addition, when erasing recorded information, a laser beam with a relatively long pulse width is irradiated with a power capable of heating the recording layer material to a temperature exceeding the crystallization temperature, and the recorded pits are slowly cooled to a crystalline state. Return to

Recording and erasing of such information is achieved by a two-bit laser beam that uses a circular spot laser beam for rapidly cooling amorphization and an oblong spot erasing laser beam for slow cooling crystallization. It is carried out using the system.

However, in such a two-beam system, the optical system is complicated, and in particular, it is difficult to make the elongated spot follow the spiral track of the disk, so a complicated mechanism is required.

Therefore, research is underway on a one-beam system in which recording and erasing are performed using one laser beam. In principle, overriding can be easily performed in this one-beam system. Override means that the laser beam emitted from a single laser beam is changed to two levels of power level Pg.
Power modulation is performed between (erase) and Pw (record) (Pw>Pg), thereby erasing the information that has already been recorded.
This is a method of overwriting new information. In this way, the method of overriding with one beam of laser is 1
This is called the beam override method.

The 1-beam system can also eliminate other drawbacks of the 2-beam system mentioned above.

However, when applying the one-beam override method to a phase change recording layer, the following difficulties arise. In other words, whether the beam-irradiated portion of the recording layer becomes amorphous or crystalline is determined only by the power of the irradiated laser beam, so slow cooling crystallization is used to erase information. I can't. In other words, crystallization must be carried out in as short a time as amorphization.

Also, when recording information, the laser level of the recording beam is superimposed on the erasing power level, so the area around the area where amorphous recording bits are to be formed is affected by the laser at the erasing power level. When heated and rapidly cooled, it is difficult to form an amorphous recording layer.

As described above, one-beam override is difficult in a phase-change recording layer, and at present very few practical recording media capable of this have yet been found.

This invention was made in view of such circumstances, and
An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording medium that is capable of one-beam override and has good characteristics.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) An information recording medium according to the present invention reversibly and selectively converts between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase depending on a substrate and a light beam irradiation condition. An information recording medium having a phase-changing recording layer and a protective layer provided between the substrate and the recording layer and/or on the recording layer, the recording layer comprising (In+oo-x Sbx ) +oo-y Te,
(However, x.

Each y is expressed in atomic %, and each 45≦x≦52.
25Sy≦45), and the protective layer is characterized in that it has a thermal conductivity that is 173 or higher than the thermal conductivity of the recording layer.

(Function) A recording layer composed of In, Sb, and Te in the above-mentioned composition ratio can be easily crystallized at high speed and made amorphous. Therefore, erasing is possible even if the recorded portion is rapidly cooled to the same extent as when it is made amorphous, and amorphous recording pits can be easily formed. Furthermore, the temperature of the recording layer can be effectively controlled by providing a protective layer adjacent to the recording layer that has a thermal conductivity that is 1/3 or more of that of the recording layer. Therefore, good override characteristics can be obtained in one-beam override.

(Example) This invention will be specifically explained below.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an information recording medium according to an embodiment of the invention. The substrate 1 is made of a material that is transparent and does not change over time.
For example, it is made of glass or resin such as polycarbonate. A protective layer 2, a recording layer 3, a protective layer 4, a reflective layer 5, and a resin layer 6 are formed on the substrate 1 in this order.

The protective layer 2.4 is made of a material having a thermal conductivity that is one-third or more of that of the recording layer 3, and has the following functions.

■A function that prevents the irradiated portion from evaporating and forming holes when the recording layer 3 is irradiated with a laser beam.

(2) A function to control the temperature of the recording layer 3 so that a desired phase change occurs when the recording layer 3 is irradiated with a laser beam.

■A function that enhances the playback signal using optical interference.

By providing such protective layers 2 and 4', the temperature of the recording layer 3 can be effectively controlled and the override characteristics can be significantly improved. In5
Since the thermal conductivity of bTe alloy is approximately 0.17 W/c@-℃, a material that satisfies the above conditions is MgF2, which has a thermal conductivity of approximately 0.1 W/c@-℃. , about 0.
2w/c11・℃ Al□O,, about 0.22W/cm・
There are inorganic dielectric materials such as AIN of 'C.

Note that although it is preferable to provide both of the protective layers 2 and 4 as described above, either one of them may be provided.

The reflective layer 5 is made of metal such as A1, and has the function of reflecting the reproduction laser beam and working together with the protective layer 4 to enhance the reproduction signal.

The resin layer 6 is made of, for example, an ultraviolet curing resin,
It has the function of preventing scratches from occurring.

Note that although it is preferable to provide the reflective layer 5 and the resin layer 6, it is not necessary to provide them.

The recording layer 3 is (In+oo-x 5bx)+oo-Te, (however,
8゜y is each expressed in atomic %, and each 45≦x≦5
0.25≦y≦45). This composition is within the range shown by diagonal lines in FIG. 2, and an alloy with such a composition satisfies high-speed crystallization and easy amorphization, and enables one-beam override. The reason for this will be explained below.

In the In-8b system, it is already known that the In5g5bso intermetallic compound has an extremely fast crystallization rate. According to the inventor's experiments, the crystallization rate is 45 n5
It was ec. Therefore, this In5°5t)s. If the composition is based on an intermetallic compound, high-speed crystallization is possible. On the other hand, In,,Sb,. s than intermetallic compounds
In a composition with a large amount of b, excessive sb precipitates, resulting in a significantly slow crystallization rate. On the other hand, if In is in excess, this will not happen. Therefore, I n 5
The crystallization rate can be increased not only in the 0S b so intermetallic compound but also in a composition with a slight excess of In. That is, high-speed crystallization is possible if In+oo-xsb is based on an alloy in the range of 45≦x≦50. However, since the alloy having such a composition has a fast crystallization rate, it is difficult to make it amorphous.

However, as a result of studies by the inventors of the present application, it has been found that by adding Te, a chalcogen-based material that easily becomes amorphous, in the range of 25 to 45 at% to an alloy having this composition, it is possible to make the alloy amorphous. Moreover, the crystallization rate is fast (approximately 1
5n5ec) It was found that a high crystallization rate was maintained due to the effect of pure Te. Therefore, by making the recording layer 3 have the above-mentioned composition, high-speed crystallization and easy amorphization can be achieved, and one-beam override can be achieved.

By adding the effects of the protective layers 2 and 4 described above to this, extremely good override characteristics can be obtained.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an information recording medium configured as described above will be described. First, the substrate 1 is placed in a vacuum chamber of a sputtering device, and the inside of the chamber is brought to a high vacuum. Next, argon gas is introduced into the chamber, and argon sputtering is performed on a target made of, for example, Al2O. As a result, a protective layer 2 is formed on the substrate 1.
is formed.

While maintaining the same atmosphere in the chamber, the recording layer 3 is formed by three-dimensional simultaneous sputtering of targets made of each constituent element of the recording layer, or by sputtering of an alloy target whose composition has been adjusted to the desired recording layer composition in advance. do.

Thereafter, a protective layer 4 is formed in the same manner as the protective layer 2. Furthermore, the reflective layer 5 is formed by sputtering a desired metal target.

Thereafter, the substrate is removed from the sputtering apparatus, an ultraviolet curing resin is applied onto the reflective layer 5 by a spin code method, and a resin layer 6 is formed by irradiating ultraviolet rays thereon.

Next, initialization, overriding and reproduction of information in the information recording medium configured as described above will be explained.

The initialization recording layer 3 is usually amorphous immediately after film formation, so in order to form amorphous recording marks, the recording layer 3 is continuously irradiated with a laser beam to form the recording layer. After melting, it is slowly cooled and the phase changes to a crystalline phase.

Recording (override) When recording information, as shown in FIG. irradiate. In the first recording, only recording is performed using Pw to form recording marks 9 on the recording layer 3. From the second time onward, new information is overwritten while erasing previously recorded information using the power of the PE. For the destination disk,
While rotating the disk at a predetermined speed, a recording beam of PW power is irradiated onto the area to be overwritten.

Then, the beam of the erasing power PR is irradiated onto the portions that are not irradiated with the recording beam.

As a result, in the area irradiated with PR, the previous amorphous recording mark 9 undergoes a phase change to a crystalline phase, and the information is erased.
The irradiated portion undergoes a phase change to an amorphous state, and a recording mark 9 is formed.

Reproduction of the reproduced information is performed by irradiating the recording layer 3 with a laser beam having a lower power than that of the PR, and detecting the difference in reflected light intensity between the recording mark 9 and the non-recorded portion using a photoelectric conversion element.

Next, the results of actually producing an optical disc and evaluating its characteristics based on this example will be described.

A polycarbonate disk-shaped substrate with a group of 5 inches in diameter was set in the vacuum chamber of a three-dimensional sputtering device, and radio frequency (R, F,) power was applied to the Al2O3 target to perform argon gas sputtering. An Al 20 i layer having a thickness of about 400 Å was formed thereon as a protective layer.

Next, In5oSbso intermetallic target and pure T
Simultaneous sputtering in argon gas was performed by applying R, F, and power to the e-target to form a recording layer with a thickness of about 400 Å. At this time, the composition of the recording layer is (I n
R and F in advance so as to have a predetermined composition expressed as Ion-x S bx ) +00-F T e v.

I adjusted the power.

Thereafter, argon sputtering of A1□O1 was performed again to form a protective layer of Al2O with a thickness of about 400 Å on the recording layer.

Furthermore, R, F, and power were applied to the Au target to perform argon sputtering, and on the A I 203 protective layer, an Au reflective layer of about 2 cm was added to enhance the reproduced signal.
The film was formed to a thickness of 0.00.

Then, take out this disk from the sputtering device, set it on a spinner, and coat it with about 10 μm of ultraviolet curing resin.
Spin code to a thickness of
A resin layer was formed.

As described above, a plurality of optical disk samples with various recording layer compositions were prepared. The composition of the recording layer is as follows.

Sample A group; (InsoSbqo) +00-F
Te.

(y-20,25,30,35,45,50) Sample B group; (I n5qs b4s) +oo-T e
F(y-20,25,30,35,45,50) Sample C group; (In, 2sb4g)! 00-y
Te.

(y-20,25,30,35,45,50) Sample D group; (I n4ssb52) +00-F Te
.

(y-20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 50) Sample E group; (In4sSbss) too-FTe.

(y-20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 50) These 35 disk samples were created under the same conditions except for the composition of the two recording layers.

Next, while rotating these samples at 1800 r, p, -, dynamic characteristics were evaluated in the following procedure.

(a) First, tracks of the amorphous recording layer immediately after film formation were crystallized using a continuous laser beam with a power of 14 mW on the surface of the recording layer. In this case, the same track was traced three times with a laser beam so that this portion was completely crystallized.

(b) Next, using a pulsed laser with an override waveform as shown in FIG. First, the first recording was made. In this case, information was recorded on the above-mentioned crystallized track using a recording pulse having a power of 16 mW, a frequency of 4 MHz, and a duty ratio of 50%. Note that the bias power for erasing was 10 mW.

After recording, the recorded information was reproduced by irradiating the recording layer group with a 0.8 mW reproduction laser beam. The reproduced signal was A/D converted and the C/N value was measured using a spectroanalyzer.

(C) Override was performed by irradiating the group that had performed the first recording with a pulsed laser having the same conditions as the override waveform described above, except that the recording pulse frequency was changed to 5 MHz and the duty ratio was 50%.

After override, 0.8mW is applied to the recording layer group again.
The recorded information was reproduced by irradiation with a reproduction laser beam, the reproduced signal was A/D converted, and the C/N value was measured using a spectroanalyzer. In addition, the previous frequency 4 M
The C/N value of the erasure remaining signal of the recording at Hz was measured, and the degree of erasure was measured as the degree of erasure of the previous recorded mark.

The results are shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. 4 to 8 are graphs showing the relationship between Te content on the horizontal axis and C/N value and erasure degree on the vertical axis, respectively.
This is shown for Groups to Group E.

The C/N value and erasure degree referred to here will be explained with reference to FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9(a), the C/N value of the reproduced signal after the first recording (4 MHz) is A, and (
As shown in b), when the C/N value of the reproduced signal after override (5 MHz) is 81 and the C/N value of the erased remaining signal of the first recording after override is B,
B-A is the degree of erasure, and C is the C/N value.

In FIGS. 4 to 8, the C/N value is 35 dB or more,
If the cancellation value was 120 dB or less, it was determined that the override characteristic was good, and if it was any other value, it was determined that the characteristic was insufficient. Q
mark, the composition judged to have insufficient properties is marked with an X, and the 10th
It was described in the composition diagram shown in the figure.

As is clear from FIG. 10, the composition of the recording layer is (I n+
It was confirmed that good override characteristics can be obtained if 45≦x≦52.25≦y≦45 when expressed as oo-m Sl ) too-y Te.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the composition of the recording layer is (In+oo-x sb, ) 100-y Te,
(However, X.

Each y is expressed in atomic %, and each 45≦x≦52.
25≦y≦45), the recording layer can be crystallized at high speed and can be easily made amorphous. Further, since the protective layer having a thermal conductivity of ⅓ or more of that of the recording layer is provided adjacent to the recording layer, the temperature of the recording layer can be effectively controlled. Therefore,
Very good override characteristics can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an information recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an In-5b-Te system composition diagram showing the recording layer composition of the information recording medium of this invention, and FIG. 3 is a single A diagram showing the laser power when overriding power modulation by a beam, Figures 4 to 8 are graphs showing the relationship between recording layer composition and override characteristics, and Figure 9 shows C/NM and erasure during override. FIG. 10 is an In-3b-Te system composition diagram showing the quality of override characteristics obtained through experiments. 1; Substrate, 2, 4; Protective layer, 3; Recording layer, 5; Reflective layer,
6; Resin layer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A substrate, a recording layer whose phase changes reversibly and selectively between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase depending on the irradiation conditions of the light beam, and between the substrate and the recording layer and/or the recording layer. An information recording medium having a protective layer provided on a recording layer, the recording layer comprising (In_1_0_0_-_xSb_x
)_1_0_0_-_yTe_y (However, x and y are each expressed in atomic percent, and 45≦x≦52, 25≦
y≦45), and the protective layer has a thermal conductivity that is 1/3 or more of the thermal conductivity of the recording layer. recoding media.