Novel laser induced image storage by chemical modification of surfaces in in situ textured amorphous Ge films

A novel high contrast laser imaging based on chemical modification of the surfaces has been demonstrated in textured amorphous films of Ge. The process of imaging has been studied by x-ray initiated Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and microdensitometry. Laser irradiation transforms amorphous Ge and amorphous GeO phases to crystalline Ge and GeO phases, the GeO phase growing at the cost of the Ge phase. This leads to imaging, the contrast of which can be enhanced by annealing in air at 525°C. Photoenhanced chemical modification of the surfaces with concomitant topological rearrangments of the irradiated network has been suggested as the phenomenon responsible for imaging in these films. Such chemical modification of the surfaces has a large potential in high-resolution high-contrast laser imaging. Applied Physics Letters is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics