Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer containing a charge-generating material capable of generating a first electric charge and a second electric charge by beam irradiation, the second electric charge having a different polarity from that of the first electric charge, a charge-transport material enabling at least the first electric charge to be transported to isolate the first electric charge and the second electric charge, and a trapping material retaining the first electric charge. The optical characteristics of the recording layer is changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of the first and second electric charges, and the trapping material is provided with a conjugated system and with at least one nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of the heterocyclic group to the conjugated system.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for holographic recording medium having an alignment mark and designed to irradiate a recording light beam onto a recording region of holographic recording medium to record information as a hologram. This apparatus comprises a recording laser recording the hologram onto the medium, an alignment laser irradiating an alignment light beam onto the medium, the alignment light beam being less absorbed than the recording light beam by the medium, and being reflected by the medium, a first lens converging the recording light beam and directing it toward the medium, a second lens converging the alignment light beam and directing it toward the medium, a photodetector detecting a light intensity of the alignment light beam reflected from the medium to recognize the alignment mark, and a driving mechanism adjusting a region to be irradiated with the recording light beam relative to the medium based on the alignment mark.

Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer containing a charge-generating material capable of generating a first electric charge and a second electric charge by beam irradiation, the second electric charge having a different polarity from that of the first electric charge, a charge-transport material enabling at least the first electric charge to be transported to isolate the first electric charge and the second electric charge, and a trapping material retaining the first electric charge. The optical characteristics of the recording layer is changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of the first and second electric charges, and the trapping material is provided with a conjugated system and with at least one nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of the heterocyclic group to the conjugated system.

Abstract: Information is recorded/reproduced by focusing a light beam in/from an optical recording medium capable of forming therein marks for information recording in a plurality of three-dimensional directions including an arbitrary directions and at least depth direction. Specifically, the optical beam is sequentially focused at a recorded mark position adjacent an optically recorded mark position, at which a recording/reproducing operation is started, in any directions regardless of the directionality of the plurality of three-dimensional directions, to cause the focused position of the light beam to describe a predetermined locus having a predetermined rule to rapidly and continuously record/reproduce the information.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer. The recording layer contains: a charge generation material generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation; a charge transport material transporting one of the electron and the hole; a charge trap which traps the transported one of the electron and the hole to separate the electron and the hole; and a non-linear optical material which changes optical properties of the recording layer in accordance with electric field formed by the electron and the hole being separated from each other. The non-linear optical material has an asymmetrical carbon atom and a cyclic group. Or, it is a cyclic-group-containing constituent having: an inversion symmetric pi-electron system; at least one of an electron donating group and an electron accepting group which are bonded to the inversion symmetric ?-electron system; and an asymmetrical carbon atom.

Abstract: Disclosed is a recording medium comprising a recording layer including a photo-acid generating agent that generates an acid upon irradiation with an actinic radiation and a polymer having a polymerizable substituent group bonded to a main chain of the polymer via a functional group that cleaves in the presence of the acid.

Abstract: Provided is a holographic recording medium including a recording layer in which information is to be holographically recorded, and a light-shielding layer which faces a main surface of the recording layer. The transmittance of the light-shielding layer for a recording light is increased on increasing intensity of the recording light. Alternatively, the light-shielding layer selectively transmits the recording light.

Abstract: The optical information recording medium according to the present invention includes a transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a recording layer that is arranged on the first surface of the transparent substrate, and a reflection layer arranged on the second surface of the transparent substrate. A hologram is recorded in the recording layer when a signal light and a reference light are incident from an incident side opposite to the transparent substrate. An optical density of the recording layer corresponding to the signal light decreases from the incident side toward the transparent substrate.

Abstract: An optical disk comprising a recording layer and a super-resolution film disposed on the reproduction-beam incident side of the recording layer, wherein the super-resolution film is formed of a fine particle-dispersed film comprising a matrix and semiconductor fine particles dispersed in the matrix or formed of a semiconductor continuous film, and wherein content of a matrix material or a contamination mixed in the semiconductor fine particles or the semiconductor continuous film is not more than 20 at %.

Abstract: An optical disk comprising a recording layer and a super-resolution film disposed on the reproduction-beam incident side of the recording layer, wherein the super-resolution film is formed of a fine particle-dispersed film comprising a matrix and semiconductor fine particles dispersed in the matrix or formed of a semiconductor continuous film, and wherein content of a matrix material or a contamination mixed in the semiconductor fine particles or the semiconductor continuous film is not more than 20 at %.

Abstract: An optical disk comprising a recording layer and a super-resolution film disposed on the reproduction-beam incident side of the recording layer, wherein the super-resolution film is formed of a fine particle-dispersed film comprising a matrix and semiconductor fine particles dispersed in the matrix or formed of a semiconductor continuous film, and wherein content of a matrix material or a contamination mixed in the semiconductor fine particles or the semiconductor continuous film is not more than 20 at %.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording medium having a charge generating ability capable of generating electric charges with different polarities upon irradiation with light and a charge transporting ability capable of transporting at least one of the electric charges to separate specially the electric charges from each other forming an electric field upon irradiation with light, the optical characteristics of the optical recording medium being changed depending on the electric field, wherein the charge transporting capability is imparted by a charge transporting material formed of a molecule having a charge transporting capability or a polymer containing a monomer unit having a charge transporting capability. A light intensity pattern is recorded in the optical recording medium depending on the change in the optical characteristics caused by the electric field. The average intermolecular distance of a noticed charge transporting material is defined to fall within a predetermined range.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer. The recording layer contains: a charge generation material generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation; a charge transport material transporting one of the electron and the hole; a charge trap which traps the transported one of the electron and the hole to separate the electron and the hole; and a non-linear optical material which changes optical properties of the recording layer in accordance with electric field formed by the electron and the hole being separated from each other. The non-linear optical material has an asymmetrical carbon atom and a cyclic group. Or, it is a cyclic-group-containing constituent having: an inversion symmetric pi-electron system; at least one of an electron donating group and an electron accepting group which are bonded to the inversion symmetric &pgr;-electron system; and an asymmetrical carbon atom.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing system records/reproduces information in a three-dimensional optical recording medium wherein information is recordable at three-dimensional optional positions and wherein position reference regions having optical characteristics different from those of recordable regions are previously provided at predetermined positions, and for reproducing information recorded in the three-dimensional optical recording medium. The recording system comprises a light source, a detector, a moving mechanism, and a light intensity adjuster. The reproducing system comprises a light source, a condenser, a detector, a moving mechanism, and a reproducing device.

Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium comprising a recording layer containing a charge-generating material capable of generating a first electric charge and a second electric charge by beam irradiation, the second electric charge having a different polarity from that of the first electric charge, a charge-transport material enabling at least the first electric charge to be transported to isolate the first electric charge and the second electric charge, and a trapping material retaining the first electric charge. The optical characteristics of the recording layer is changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of the first and second electric charges, and the trapping material is provided with a conjugated system and with at least one nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of the heterocyclic group to the conjugated system.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for holographic recording medium having an alignment mark and designed to irradiate a recording light beam onto a recording region of holographic recording medium to record information as a hologram. This apparatus comprises a recording laser recording the hologram onto the medium, an alignment laser irradiating an alignment light beam onto the medium, the alignment light beam being less absorbed than the recording light beam by the medium, and being reflected by the medium, a first lens converging the recording light beam and directing it toward the medium, a second lens converging the alignment light beam and directing it toward the medium, a photodetector detecting a light intensity of the alignment light beam reflected from the medium to recognize the alignment mark, and a driving mechanism adjusting a region to be irradiated with the recording light beam relative to the medium based on the alignment mark.

Abstract: A row of (n+m) powder containers which contain powder for chromatography and a row of (n+m) solvent containers which contain solvent for partition are arranged closely in parallel to each other. 0): A predetermined quantity of sample solution is added to the m-th solvent container from the left. 1): The powder containers and the solvent containers of the same numbers from the left in the rows are coupled with each other to form a row of (n+m) pairs of the powder containers and the solvent containers. 2): The powder and solvent of each pair are mixed and stirred until components to be separated come into partition equilibrium. 3): The powder and solvent of each pair are separated and made to exist in the original containers of each pair. 4): The pairs are decoupled to form the row of the powder containers and the row of the solvent containers again, and the rows are shifted from each other by one container in the opposite directions alternately.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording medium having a charge generating ability capable of generating electric charges with different polarities upon irradiation with light and a charge transporting ability capable of transporting at least one of the electric charges to separate specially the electric charges from each other forming an electric field upon irradiation with light, the optical characteristics of the optical recording medium being changed depending on the electric field, wherein the charge transporting capability is imparted by a charge transporting material formed of a molecule having a charge transporting capability or a polymer containing a monomer unit having a charge transporting capability. A light intensity pattern is recorded in the optical recording medium depending on the change in the optical characteristics caused by the electric field. The average intermolecular distance of a noticed charge transporting material is defined to fall within a predetermined range.

Abstract: An optical disk comprising a recording layer and a super-resolution film disposed on the reproduction-beam incident side of the recording layer, wherein the super-resolution film is formed of a fine particle-dispersed film comprising a matrix and semiconductor fine particles dispersed in the matrix or formed of a semiconductor continuous film, and wherein content of a matrix material or a contamination mixed in the semiconductor fine particles or the semiconductor continuous film is not more than 20 at %.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of reading a pattern comprising steps of heating or irradiating with infrared light a substrate on which a transparent pattern is formed, the pattern containing a material capable of absorbing infrared light of specific wavelength such as polyacrylonitrile, and detecting infrared light which is radiated or reflected from the pattern.