Novel materials for non‐ablative optical recording

Novel materials for optical data storage based on a new recording method are described. Instead of pits or refractive index changes being produced in the recording medium, marks are the result of the generation of near ‐IR absorbing dyes, which leads to a change in the absorption of light from the read laser. The new materials, thin films of tellurium (IV) dihalide bound in a glass together with a sensitizing dye, undergo thermal reductive elimination of halogen on expousure to laser radiation. This technique could ind applications in electrophotographic mastering.