Sub-Nanosecond Pulsed Laser Studies of Phase-Change Recording Media

We report the observed behavior of various phase-change (PC) samples under short-pulse laser irradiation. A pump-and-probe technique is used to elucidate the dynamics of melting and amorphization, as well as the mechanism of multi-pulse crystallization. We also obtain estimates of the thermal constants of the PC layer as well as those of the adjacent layers