Abstract: A low-cost artificial fingerprint liquid for quantitatively and with a good reproducibility evaluating an anti-staining property, and a fingerprint adhering property or a fingerprint removing property on the surface of an optical disk such as a reproduction-only optical disk, optical recording disk, magneto-optical recording disk, various displays such as a CRT, and various substances such as glass including a fine-particle-form substance and a dispersion medium capable of dispersing the fine-particle-form substance.

Abstract: Disclosed are an electron beam irradiation apparatus and an electron beam irradiation method that are capable of easily curing a material that is hard to be cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays and of reducing the number of electron beam irradiation tubes. The electron beam irradiation apparatus has a motor for rotationally driving an irradiation target object, a shield container for rotatably accommodating the irradiation target object, and an electron beam irradiation unit provided in the shield container so that the surface of the irradiation target object is irradiated with electron beams, wherein the electron beam irradiation unit and the irradiation target object are relatively moved when the electron beam irradiation unit irradiates the surface of the irradiation target object with the electron beams during a rotation of the irradiation target object.

Abstract: An electron beam irradiation apparatus and method capable of easily curing at least part of a surface layer and/or a resin layer composed of materials that are hard to be cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays. A disc-shaped object manufacturing apparatus and method capable of efficiently forming, on the disc-shaped object, at least part of a surface layer and/or a resin layer such as light transmitting layer, etc, thereunder. An electron beam irradiation apparatus comprises a rotary driving unit for rotationally driving an object, a shield container rotatably accommodating the object, and an electron beam irradiation unit provided in the shield container so that the surface of the object is irradiated with electron beams from an irradiation window thereof, wherein the surface of the object is irritated with the electron beams during its rotation from the irradiation window of the election beam irradiation unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical information medium that is less susceptible to warp in the disk surface while offering significantly high scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, and a method for producing the optical information medium. An optical information medium (1) comprising a supporting substrate (2) and a film element, the film element disposed on the supporting substrate (2) and composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (5) or a reflective layer (3), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (9) of a cured product of a composition comprising (A) inorganic fine particles with an average particle size of 100 nm or less, (B) a reactive silicone, and (C) an active energy ray-curable compound.

Abstract: A simple method for evaluating an optical information medium by judging quantitatively and reproducibly the surface quality of the optical information medium by the use of an artificial fingerprint liquid as an evaluation dispersion liquid, is provided. An optical information medium having a remarkably excellent anti-staining property of the surface which is on the incident side of recording/reproducing beam is provided. A method for evaluating an optical information medium, comprising: adhering an artificial fingerprint liquid containing a fine-particle-form substance and a dispersion medium capable of dispersing the fine-particle-form substance onto the surface of the optical information medium which is on the incident side of a recording/reproducing beam; observing the state of the artificial fingerprint liquid droplets adhered to the surface; and judging the quality of the medium surface.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical recording disk, with which the worsening of jitter can be prevented effectively even when fingerprints become adhered onto a laser light incidence surface. An optical recording disk 10 comprises a substrate 2, a recording layer 5, formed on the substrate, a light transmitting layer 7, formed on the recording layer, and a hard coat layer 8, formed on the light transmitting layer, and is characterized in that, when an operation of adhering an artificial fingerprint solution onto the optical recording disk's light incidence surface, onto which laser light is made incident, is performed and then an operation of wiping off the artificial fingerprint solution that has been adhered onto the light incidence surface is repeated five times, jitter becomes no more than 1.15 times that prior to the adhesion of the artificial fingerprint solution.

Abstract: A method for transferring an artificial fingerprint liquid to a surface of an optical information medium includes preparing a pseudo-fingerprint transferring stamp which is a plug made of silicone rubber, applying an artificial fingerprint liquid containing a fine-particle-form substance and a dispersion medium capable of dispersing the fine-particle-form substance onto a polycarbonate substrate by spin coating to prepare a master plate for artificial fingerprint liquid transfer, pressing said one end face of the transferring stamp with a load of 4.9 N for 10 seconds against the surface of the master plate, and then, pressing said one end face of the transferring stamp onto which the artificial fingerprint liquid is transferred against a surface of an optical information medium.

Abstract: A testing method capable of quantifying abrasion resistance on the translucent base surface of a high-recording-density optical information medium simply and in a form of reflecting an actual application environment, and judging criteria appropriate for the testing method.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hard coat agent composition that is useful for forming a hard coat layer with excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, on the surfaces of various articles. The present invention also provides an optical information medium using the above hard coat agent composition. A hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing block copolymer (A1), a fluorine-containing polyether compound (A2) comprising an active energy ray-reactive group, and an active energy ray-curable compound (B). An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition.

Abstract: A method for evaluating an optical information medium by judging quantitatively and reproducibly the surface quality of the optical information medium by the use of a novel artificial fingerprint liquid as an evaluation dispersion liquid including: adhering, under predetermined conditions, the evaluation dispersion liquid; measuring a recording/reproducing characteristic (e.g. error rate) of the medium with the evaluation dispersion liquid droplets adhered to the medium surface; and judging the optical information medium as an acceptable medium when the measured recording and/or reproducing characteristic is equal to, or better than, a predetermined value.

Abstract: An electron beam irradiation apparatus includes an electron beam emission section having an electron beam irradiating tube that emits an electron beam; an electron beam irradiation section for irradiating the emitted electron beam to a target; a transfer mechanism for transferring the target to the electron beam irradiation section; a rotation mechanism for rotating the target on its own axis when irradiating the electron beam; and a linear movement mechanism for generating a relative linear movement such that the electron beam irradiating tube passes right above the target, between the target and the electron beam irradiating tube, when irradiating the electron beam. The linear movement mechanism generates a relative linear movement such that the electron beam irradiating tube goes from an end portion of the target toward the center of the target and turns back before the center of the electron beam emitting portion of the electron beam irradiating tube reaches the center of the target.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hard coat agent composition that is useful for forming a hard coat layer with excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, on the surfaces of various articles. The present invention also provides an optical information medium using the above hard coat agent composition. A hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing polyether compound (A) comprising an active energy ray-reactive group, and a curable compound (B) comprising two, or three or more active energy ray-polymerizable groups within each molecule. An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition.

Abstract: An electron beam irradiation apparatus and method capable of easily curing at least part of a surface layer and/or a resin layer, each composed of materials that are hard to be cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays, and capable of substantially uniformizing an integrated irradiation dose of electron beams over an entire irradiated surface. A disc-shaped object manufacturing apparatus and method capable of efficiently forming, on the disc-shaped object, at least part of a surface layer and/or a resin layer. An electron beam irradiation apparatus has a rotary driving unit for rotationally driving a disc-shaped object, a shield container for rotatably accommodating the disc-shaped object, and an electron beam irradiation unit provided in the shield container so that an irradiated surface on the surface of the disc-shaped object is irradiated with electron beams.

Abstract: Disclosed are an electron beam irradiation apparatus and an electron beam irradiation method that are capable of easily curing a material that is hard to be cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays and of reducing the number of electron beam irradiation tubes. The electron beam irradiation apparatus has a motor for rotationally driving an irradiation target object, a shield container for rotatably accommodating the irradiation target object, and an electron beam irradiation unit provided in the shield container so that the surface of the irradiation target object is irradiated with electron beams, wherein the electron beam irradiation unit and the irradiation target object are relatively moved when the electron beam irradiation unit irradiates the surface of the irradiation target object with the electron beams during a rotation of the irradiation target object.

Abstract: An electron-beam curable polyurethane resin for magnetic recording media is produced by modifying a polyurethane resin having active hydrogen in the molecule thereof with a compound having at least two acrylic double bonds, wherein the modification is performed on the active hydrogen so that the polyurethane resin becomes electron-beam curable. By subjecting a known thermosetting polyurethane resin to electron-beam sensitive modification, the resulting resin is highly crosslinked and is thus capable of being suitably used for magnetic recording media. Also, an electron-beam curable polyurethane resin having excellent crosslinking characteristics can easily be produced from the known thermosetting polyurethane resin. Furthermore, by using the electron-beam curable polyurethane resin, a high-performance magnetic recording medium can be provided.

Abstract: An electron beam irradiation apparatus and method capable of easily curing at least part of a surface layer and/or a resin layer composed of materials that are hard to be cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays. A disc-shaped object manufacturing apparatus and method capable of efficiently forming, on the disc-shaped object, at least part of a surface layer and/or a resin layer such as light transmitting layer, etc, thereunder. An electron beam irradiation apparatus comprises a rotary driving unit for rotationally driving an object, a shield container rotatably accommodating the object, and an electron beam irradiation unit provided in the shield container so that the surface of the object is irradiated with electron beams from an irradiation window thereof, wherein the surface of the object is irritated with the electron beams during its rotation from the irradiation window of the election beam irradiation unit.

Abstract: An electron-beam curable polyurethane resin for magnetic recording media is produced by modifying a polyurethane resin having active hydrogen in the molecule thereof with a compound having at least two acrylic double bonds, wherein the modification is performed on the active hydrogen so that the polyurethane resin becomes electron-beam curable. By subjecting a known thermosetting polyurethane resin to electron-beam sensitive modification, the resulting resin is highly crosslinked and is thus capable of being suitably used for magnetic recording media. Also, an electron-beam curable polyurethane resin having excellent crosslinking characteristics can easily be produced from the known thermosetting polyurethane resin. Furthermore, by using the electron-beam curable polyurethane resin, a high-performance magnetic recording medium can be provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical information medium in which the recording and/or reproducing beam incident side surface displays excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing block copolymer (A) and an active energy ray-curable compound (B).

Abstract: The present invention provides a new fluorine-containing acetophenone derivative useful as a photo initiator, and a surface layer material containing the fluorine-containing acetophenone derivative. The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, and provides a method for forming the hard coat. A fluorine-containing acetophenone derivative represented by the following general formula (I): wherein R1, R2 and R3 each independently represent an organic group other than aryl group, a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or a hydroxyl group, provided that the following case does not take place: all of R1, R2 and R3 are simultaneously hydrogen atoms; and any two of R1, R2 and R3 may be linked to each other to form a ring, and R4 represents a fluorine-containing organic group.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing an optical recording medium having: a supporting substrate; a light transmission layer, which transmits a laser beam; and an information layer formed between the supporting substrate and the light transmission layer, which includes: applying a resin composition on the information layer by a spin coating method to form a coating film, wherein the resin composition contains, as main components: (A) a radical-curing urethane(meth)acrylate, which is obtained by reacting (a-1) a compound having three or more isocyanate groups binding to an aliphatic carbon atom per one molecule thereof and (a-2) a polycaprolacton-modified hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate; and (B) a radical-curing monomer having a viscosity of 400 mPa.s or less at 25° C., curing the coating film by irradiating the coating film with an ultraviolet light or an electron beam to form the light transmission layer.