Sol-gel processing of tellurium oxide and suboxide thin films with potential for optical data storage application

A novel sol-gel processing route has been developed for the production of tellurium oxide (TeO₂) and tellurium suboxide (TeO_x) thin films. The process has been used to deposit thin films on glass substrates by the dip coating process. These films have been shown to undergo thermally induced, reversible changes in optical properties on heating at appropriate temperatures. Formation of TeO_x was found to occur at low temperatures by direct breakdown of the sol-gel derived material even in the absence of reducing agents whilst the principal optical effects corresponded to the formation of TeO_x and α-TeO₂ at temperatures of <200 °C and <450 °C respectively. The relatively low temperatures required to induce significant optical effects are comparable with conventionally prepared TeO_x and offer the potential application of these materials in optical data storage systems.