Abstract: A phase-change recording material used for an information recording medium utilizing a crystalline state as a non-recorded state and an amorphous state as a recorded state, which has the composition of the following formula (1) as the main component: (Sb1?xSnx)1?y?w?zGeyTewM1z??formula (1) wherein each of x, y, z and w represents atomicity, x, z and w are numbers which satisfy 0.01?x?0.5, 0?z?0.3 and 0?w?0.1, respectively, and the element M1 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of In, Ga, Pt, Pd, Ag, rare earth elements, Se, N, O, C, Zn, Si, Al, Bi, Ta, W, Nb and V, and (I) when z=0 and w=0, y is a number which satisfies 0.1?y?0.3, (II) when 0?z?0.3 and w=0, y is a number which satisfies 0.05?y?0.3, and (III) when 0?z?0.3 and 0<w?0.1, y is a number which satisfies 0.01?y?0.3.

Abstract: The invention provides an azo metal chelate dye suitable for use in a recording layer of an optical recording medium capable of high-speed recording or an optical recording medium having plural recording layers, and an optical recording medium.

Abstract: The azo-metal chelate dye to which the present invention is applied is a compound formed as follows: for example, 1,3,4-thiadiazole ring is selected as the diazo component; the diazo component is combined with a coupler component having condensed rings including a fluorine-substituted alkylsulfonylamino group and an amino group, to form an azo dye compound; and the azo dye compound forms chelate bonds with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Cu and Pd. Here, two absorption bands (OD1 and OD2) are seen in the absorption spectrum, which is measured in a range of 400 to 800 nm wavelengths. The azo-metal chelate dye is characterized in that the optical density ratio (OD2/OD1) of the two absorption bands is greater than 1.25. By using this azo-metal chelate dye, an optical recording medium capable of high-speed recording is provided.

Abstract: An imaging device with micro-scale optical structures comprises a plurality of display units, where each display unit comprises a plurality of micro-scale optical structures, and each micro-scale optical structure comprises a convex part, a planar part, and base part. The convex part is positioned on the base part and has an arc surface, where the arc surface comprises a left side arc face and a right side arc face for reflecting oblique incident lights from the left or the right to form a reflected light toward the front. And different arrangements of micro-scale optical structures are used for reflecting left side and right side incident lights to display different characters or images.

Abstract: Provided is an extremely high-density optical recording medium with excellent jitter characteristics and good recording/reproducing characteristics. An optical recording medium 20 comprises a substrate 21 with a guide groove formed therein, a layer 23 with a light reflection function, a recording layer 22 comprising a dye as a main component with a light absorption function for a wavelength of recording/reproducing light in an unrecorded state, and a cover layer 24 capable of transmitting the recording/reproducing light incident to the recording layer 22, in the order mentioned; an interlayer 30 containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, V, W, Mo, Cr and Ti, is provided between the layer 23 with the light reflection function and the recording layer 22.

Abstract: A rewritable optical recording medium includes a substrate and a phase-change type recording layer. A portion in a crystalline state corresponds to an unrecorded or erased state, and a portion in an amorphous state correspond to a recorded state, to record EFM modulated information by forming amorphous marks by irradiating the recording layer with a recording laser beam, and the recording is carried out by irradiating a recording laser beam having a wavelength of about 780 nm through an optical system having a numerical aperture NA of 0.5 or 0.55, at 24-times velocity or 32-times velocity of the reference velocity.

Abstract: [Problem]: An optical recording medium having a capability of recording and/or reading high density optical information using a short wavelength laser light is provided. [Means to Address the Problem]: The optical recording medium has a capability of recording and/or reading high density optical information using a short wavelength laser light having a wavelength of 350 nm to 530 nm. The optical recording medium has a recording layer containing a metal complex compound and formed on a substrate. The metal complex compound is composed of a cyclic ?-diketone azo compound represented by the general formula (I) or general formula (II) and a divalent metal ion coordinated to the cyclic ?-diketone azo compound.

Abstract: An information recording method allows optical information having a recording mark length smaller than a spot diameter of laser light to be recorded on an optical recording medium having a recording layer, at high density by laser light pulse application. The information recording method has: a power calibration step of determining a recording power for recording a signal having a predetermined signal length in the recording layer using the laser light; and a complementing step of complementing, based on the recording power determined in the power calibration step, a recording power for recording a signal having a signal length equal to or less than ½ of the spot diameter of the laser light in the recording layer using the laser light. In the information recording method, for example, an extremely small mark, such as a 2T signal, can be precisely formed.

Abstract: Provided is an optical recording method for recoding information on a phase-change optical recording medium at a low linear velocity by use of a divided pulse method. When forming a plurality of recording marks by use of a constant divided pulse number m, a light irradiation time period of recording light for recording a recording mark having a time length of nT is divided in the order of {?1T, ?1T, ?2T, ?2T, . . . , ?iT, ?iT, . . . , ?mT, ?mT} (in which m is a natural number representing a divided pulse number, ?i (1?i?m) is a real number greater than 0, ?i (1?i?m?1) is a real number greater than 0, and ?m is a real number equal to or above 0).

Abstract: The azo-metal chelate dye to which the present invention is applied is a compound formed as follows: for example, 1,3,4-thiadiazole ring is selected as the diazo component; the diazo component is combined with a coupler component having condensed rings including a fluorine-substituted alkylsulfonylamino group and an amino group, to form an azo dye compound; and the azo dye compound forms chelate bonds with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Cu and Pd. Here, two absorption bands (OD1 and OD2) are seen in the absorption spectrum, which is measured in a range of 400 to 800 nm wavelengths. The azo-metal chelate dye is characterized in that the optical density ratio (OD2/OD1) of the two absorption bands is greater than 1.25. By using this azo-metal chelate dye, an optical recording medium capable of high-speed recording is provided.

Abstract: There are provided a thermal printing layer suitable for thermal printing with a thermal head, and further provided a thermal printing layer which exhibits no limitations on selection of materials for the thermal printing layer. It relates to a thermal printing layer capable of thermal printing with a thermal head, which comprises a color former layer comprising a heat-sensitive color development material and a curable resin and a developer layer comprising a developer and a curable resin. Also, it relates to an optical recording medium comprising the thermal printing layer and a recording/reading functional layer.

Abstract: An information recording medium (100) is provided with (i) a first information recording area wherein a first track for reproducing first information based on a first track pitch is formed by a laser beam, and (ii) a second information recording area wherein a second track for reproducing second information based on a second track pitch different from the first track pitch is formed by a laser beam. The groove shape of the first track is different from the groove shape of the second track.

Abstract: In a rewritable compact disc having a wobble groove on a substrate, crystal and amorphous states of a phase-change recording layer are an unrecorded/erased state and a recorded state, respectively. When the recording layer is exposed to recording light, amorphous marks assuming the recorded state are formed. At any of 2-, 4- and 8-times velocities with respect to a reference velocity (1-times velocity) whose linear velocity is 1.2-1.4 m/s, modulation m11 of a recorded signal when the recording light of approximately 780 nm in wavelength irradiates the recording layer via an optical system with NA=0.5 or 0.55 is 60-80%. A topmost level Rtop of reflectivity of the eye pattern of the recorded signal during retrieving at the 1-times velocity is 15-25%, and a jitter of the individual length of marks and inter-mark spaces during retrieving at 1-times velocity is 35 ns or less.

Abstract: To provide an optical information recording medium on which visual information can be recorded on a label face side by using a laser apparatus for recording and reading electronic information by irradiation with a low output laser without exerting, e.g. thermal influence over electronic information recorded on the medium. The optical information recording medium of the present invention is an optical information recording medium 100 having such a structure that on a substrate 101, an electronic information recording layer 102, a reflective layer 103 formed in contact with the opposite side of the electronic information recording layer 102 from a side where a laser beam 107 enters, a protective layer 104, a visual information recording layer 105 and an overcoat layer 106 constituting an outermost layer are laminated in this order, and having a reflectivity against a beam applied from the label face side of at least 15 and at most 50%.

Abstract: An optical recording medium is produced in which air trapping or air bubbling in a resin layer is suppressed, and the resin layer formed has a uniform thickness. A disk cap member 9 having an diameter greater that the diameter of a central hole 2 of a circular substrate is placed on a recording medium 1 provided with the circular substrate so as to close the central hole 2, while a resin film A prepared by curing a liquid resin material a that covers a step formed by the cap member 9 and the recording medium 1 is formed. On the cap member 9, a curable resin material c for forming a resin layer 11 is supplied, and the recording medium is rotated to spin-spread the curable resin material c. During or after the spin spreading, the curable resin material c is cured so that the resin layer 11 is formed on the recording medium 1.

Abstract: A printing method applied to an optical recording medium including a recording/playback functional layer enabling recording or playback by a laser beam, an information recording/playback surface irradiated with the laser beam, and a printing layer separated from the information recording/playback surface by the recording/playback functional layer. Address information used for recording or playback is recorded on the recording/playback functional layer. The printing method detects the address information by irradiating the information recording/playback surface with the laser beam, and carries out printing on the printing layer using the detected address information.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium for recording information by a plurality of record mark lengths, wherein the shortest mark length is at most 0.5 ?m, and a crystal state is an unrecorded or erased state and an amorphous state is a recorded state, wherein the erasing is carried out by recrystallization which substantially proceeds by crystal growth from an interface between the amorphous portion or a melt portion and a peripheral crystal portion; and an optical recording method suitable therefore. The medium of the present invention has characteristics that overwriting can be made at a high speed, the jitter of mark edge is small, mark length modulation recording can be made at a high density, and the formed mark is excellent in the stability with the lapse of time.

Abstract: An information recording medium (100) is provided with (i) a first information recording area wherein a first track for reproducing first information based on a first track pitch is formed by a laser beam, and (ii) a second information recording area wherein a second track for reproducing second information based on a second track pitch different from the first track pitch is formed by a laser beam. In the second track, a recording mark is previously recorded.

Abstract: In an optical recording method used when information is recorded in a phase-change recording layer of a large-capacity rewritable optical recording medium such as a DVD-RW, one block pulse is used as a recording pulse for forming one recording mark when a recording velocity is higher than a recording linear velocity at which the rewritable optical recording medium can be rewritten, whereas a pulse train comprised of a plurality of short pulses is used as the recording pulse for forming one recording pulse when the recording velocity is within recording linear velocities at which the rewritable optical recording medium can be rewritten, whereby high-velocity recording is realized.

Abstract: To provide an optical information recording medium on which visual information can be recorded on a label face by using a laser apparatus for recording and reading electronic information by irradiation with a low output laser without exerting e.g. thermal influence over electronic information recorded on the medium. The present invention provides an optical information recording medium 100 having such a structure that on a substrate 101, an electronic information recording layer 102, a reflective layer 103 formed in contact with the opposite side of the electronic information recording layer 102 from a side where a laser beam 107 enters, a protective layer 104, a visual information recording layer 105 and an overcoat layer 106 constituting an outermost layer are laminated in this order, wherein the surface roughness of the outermost layer on the label face side is at most ½ of the wavelength (?) of a laser beam 108.