Microstructure, optical and static recording properties of AgOx film, and near-field simulation of sub-wavelength aperture based on the AgOx marks’ formation

Structures, spectra and surface topographies of as-deposited and annealed AgO_x films have been investigated by an X-ray diffractometer, a spectrophotometer and an atomic force microscopy (AFM). X-ray diffraction and spectrum results show that the as-deposited AgO_x films with high oxygen ratios (x≥0.5) are in amorphous states and Ag crystalline particles will separate out after annealed. AFM results show that the film surface will become much rougher and film thickness will increase greatly after annealed due to the decomposition of AgO_x with release of oxygen. Static recording results show that two microstructures of the recording marks can be produced: one is the bubble mark at a low recording power and the other is the rupture bubble with an ablated aperture (hole) in the center at a high recording power. Based on the formation of rupture bubble marks, the near-field optical distribution of a focused Gaussian laser beam through a sub-wavelength aperture (200 nm in diameter) has been simulated using finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method. Results show that the spot size can be greatly squeezed with still highly transmitted intensity, which may lead to the super-resolution readout.