Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical recording medium wherein hardness of the surface on the incident-light side is high and warping of the optical recording medium is suppressed. The optical recording medium according to the present invention comprises a substrate 11, a recording layer 14 provided upon the substrate 11, a light transmission layer 16 made of ultraviolet curable resin provided upon the functional layer 16, and a hard-coat layer 17 provided upon the light transmission layer 16, wherein the thickness of the light transmission layer 16 is 50 ?m or greater and its pencil hardness is HB or less. Thereby, warping of the optical recording medium arising due to cure shrinkage of the ultraviolet curable resin making up the light transmission layer 16 can be effectively suppressed. Moreover, the hard-coat layer 17 is provided upon this light transmission layer 16, so the occurrence of scratches on the surface of the optical recording medium can be effectively prevented.

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: A holder (30) that holds a specimen (100) is disposed outside a vacuum chamber (50) with a light transmission window (52a). A light detection unit and a light radiation unit having a terahertz light generator (6) are fixed on a base (53) disposed inside the vacuum chamber. The light radiation unit irradiates terahertz pulse light onto the specimen (100) placed outside the vacuum chamber via the light transmission window (52a) and the resulting specimen light from the specimen (100) is received at the light detection unit via the light transmission window (52a). The base (53) in the vacuum chamber and the holder (30) disposed outside the vacuum chamber are connected via a connecting member (54a) passing displaceably through a barrier wall of a vacuum chamber (50) with airtight sealing so as to fix the relative position of the holder to the base.

Abstract: An optical recording medium 10 comprises a disc body 11, a white ink layer 12 provided on the label side 11b of the disc body 11, and an ink receiving layer 13 provided on the surface 12a of the white ink layer 12. The mean roughness (Ra) of the surface 12a of the white ink layer 12 is set not greater than 0.2 ?m. A step radially extended is left on the surface 13a of the ink receiving layer 13 and set not greater than 1.0 ?m. As the mean roughness (Ra) of the surface 12a of the white ink layer 12 is not greater than 0.2 ?m or as the step on the ink receiving layer 13 is not greater than 1.0 ?m, high printing quality can be secured when printing is done with an ink-jet printer.

Abstract: A method is provided for preparing an optical information medium comprising a disk-shaped supporting substrate having a center hole, an annular information recording area thereon, and an annular resin-based light-transmitting layer on the information recording area through which recording/reading laser beam is transmitted. In the formation of the light-transmitting layer, a coating fluid containing an actinic radiation-curable resin is fed onto the supporting substrate having the information-recording area formed thereon and the supporting substrate is rotated for spreading the coating fluid over the supporting substrate to thereby form a resin layer, and subsequently, the resin layer is irradiated with actinic radiation to thereby cure said resin layer while reducing the rotation speed of the supporting substrate. This method is capable of suppressing the size of the bump formed in the outer peripheral region of the light-transmitting layer.

Abstract: A disc-shaped optical recording medium formed by carrying out a film formation process on a disc-shaped substrate material and completed by forming a center hole at the last step is manufactured in a manner such that no eccentricity will occur when the recording medium is loaded onto a drive. At the last step of an optical disc manufacturing process, i.e., at the time of opening a hole in the center part 26 of the disc-shaped substrate material 12 formed with at least a resin layer on one side thereof, the center part 26 is removed in a manner such that the diameter of the chucking center hole 28 is larger on the disc-shaped substrate material 12 side than on the light transmitting resin layer 22 side of the disc-shaped optical recording medium 30, thereby manufacturing the disc-shaped optical recording medium 30.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a multiplayer optical recording medium by depositing two recording layers, with a spacer layer sandwiched therebetween, on a substrate. The method includes using a rubber chuck which can undergo elastic deformation at least in radial directions to close a central mounting hole of the substrate to thereby fix the substrate having the recording layer formed thereon on a turntable. After a coating liquid for forming the spacer layer is dropped in the vicinity of a boundary portion between a peripheral surface of the rubber chuck and the substrate, the rubber chuck is caused to chuck a stamper for forming the first recording layer thereon while allowing the stamper to be placed over the substrate. Thereafter, the turntable is rotated to spin-coat the coating liquid. This makes it possible to form a spacer layer having a uniform layer thickness while preventing intrusion of air bubbles, without leading to high manufacturing costs.

Abstract: A disc-shaped substrate for a disc-shaped optical recording medium is accurately and stably positioned and held during a sputtering process. A non-sputtering surface of the disc-shaped substrate opposite to a sputtering surface has a circular recess formed at a center thereof. A carrier, on which the disc-shaped substrate is supported during the sputtering process, has a projective member for fitting into the circular recess to accurately position and hold the disc-shaped substrate during the sputtering process.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical recording medium by forming a light-transmitting layer employing a photo-curable resin, yet affording superior mechanical properties. The present invention also provides an apparatus for manufacturing an optical recording medium suitable for use in the above-mentioned method. A method for manufacturing an optical recording medium (1) having, on a supporting substrate (2), at least one recording layer (5) and a light-transmitting layer (7) on the recording layer (5), comprising the steps of providing an energy ray-curable resin layer on the recording layer (5), and irradiating the resin layer with an energy ray at least twice to form the light-transmitting layer (7).

Abstract: Without forming a center hole, a light-transmitting resin layer is deposited and formed on a disc-shaped substrate material. A method for fabricating an optical disc includes the steps of injecting a synthetic resin from a gate into the cavity of a mold assembly 30 to mold and cure a disc-shaped substrate material 12 in conjunction with a sprue runner 14 in the gate; depositing a film 18 on the disc-shaped substrate material 12 integrated with the sprue runner 14 taken out of the mold assembly 30; forming a light-transmitting resin layer 22; and forming a center hole 28 by punching through a center portion 26 of the disc-shaped substrate material 12 in conjunction with the sprue runner 14.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing an optical recording medium having two recording layers on a supporting substrate and an optical recording medium obtained according to the method.

Abstract: An information recording medium preform is used to manufacture an information recording medium which has a center mounting hole formed in a central part thereof, has at least one type of functional layer formed on a first surface thereof, and for which at least one of recording and reproduction of information is possible. A second cavity that is formed as one of a circular recess and a ring shaped concave and composes part of the center mounting hole on the first surface side is formed in a central part of the first surface of the information recording medium preform. A first cavity that is formed as a recess and composes part of the center mounting hole on a second surface on another side of the information recording medium is also formed in a central part of the second surface of the information recording medium preform.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing an optical recording medium, according to the present invention, is a method of manufacturing an optical recording medium, in which a resin layer is formed by spin-coating a coating liquid (R) on a substrate (D) having a central portion thereof formed with a central mounting hole (1a), and the method comprises causing a rubber chuck (14) that is capable of being elastically deformed at least in radial directions and thereby closing the central mounting hole of the substrate, to undergo elastic deformation to perform chucking, whereby the substrate (D) is fixed to the turntable (12), and after dropping the coating liquid (R) onto a central portion of the rubber chuck (14), causing the turntable (12) to rotate to thereby spin-coat the coating liquid (R). This makes it possible to reliably and easily form excellent resin layer while enhancing productivity.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical recording medium wherein hardness of the surface on the incident-light side is high and warping of the optical recording medium is suppressed.

Abstract: A terahertz light generation element 8 emits terahertz light as excitation pulse light is emitted onto an area between electrically conductive films 32 and 33 formed on a substrate 31 while a bias voltage is applied between the electrically conductive films 32 and 33. A terahertz light detection unit 13 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity level of the electric field of the terahertz light entering the terahertz light detection unit. The polarity of the electric field of the terahertz light is modulated by inverting the polarity of the bias voltage applied between the pair of electrically conductive films. By using a reference signal synchronous with the polarity inversion of the bias voltage applied between the pair of electrically conductive films, the electrical signal provided by the terahertz light detection unit 13 is amplified at a lock-in amplifier 24.

Abstract: An optical recording medium-manufacturing apparatus which is capable of reducing wear of a cut-forming blade section used for forming a cut in a resin layer, without increasing the component costs of the apparatus. An ultrasonic horn includes a hollow-cylindrical cut-forming blade section for being pushed into a resin layer formed on one side of a disk-shaped substrate, thereby forming a circular cut in the resin layer. A control section controls motion of the ultrasonic horn caused by a moving mechanism. The control section causes the ultrasonic horn to be pushed in to the resin layer while causing ultrasonic vibration thereof to thereby form the cut, and while maintaining a state of ultrasonic vibration of the abutment section and a pushed-in state of the cut-forming blade section, causes the punching blade section to be pushed into the disk-shaped substrate, to form the central hole.

Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium-manufacturing apparatus that is capable of accurately transferring a disk-shaped apparatus during a manufacturing process, and at the same time occupies a small installation area. A control section causes a cut-forming machine installed at a cut-forming location to form a cut in a resin layer of a disk-shaped substrate, then causes an indexing mechanism to rotate a transfer stage to thereby transfer the disk-shaped substrate formed with the cut to a central hole-forming location, and then causes a punching machine to punch a central hole.

Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium-manufacturing apparatus that is capable of avoiding breakage of a substrate while avoiding formation of a central hole off-center with respect to the substrate. A control section causes the vertical movement section to move an ultrasonic horn in directions toward and away from the cutting edge of a punching blade section to thereby cause the ultrasonic horn to press the disk-shaped substrate and at the same cause an ultrasonic generator to perform ultrasonic vibration at least from a time point at which the disk-shaped substrate is brought into contact with the cutting edge of the punching blade section to a time point at which the punching of the central hole is completed.

Abstract: There is provided a cut-forming machine which is capable of preventing movement of a substrate caused by movement of a cut-forming blade section, a vertical movement mechanism moves at least one of a table for supporting a disk-shaped substrate and a cut-forming blade section toward the other of them, thereby pushing the cut-forming blade section into a light transmission layer of the substrate. A spring urges an urging portion disposed in a central portion of the cut-forming blade section, from at least a time point of completion of pushing the cut-forming blade section into the light transmission layer to a time point of removal of the cut-forming blade section from the light transmission layer, thereby causing the urging portion to urge a central portion of the disk-shaped substrate toward the table.

Abstract: A method is provided for preparing an optical information medium comprising a disk-shaped supporting substrate having a center hole, an annular information recording area thereon, and an annular resin-based light-transmitting layer on the information recording area through which recording/reading laser beam is transmitted. In the formation of the light-transmitting layer, a coating fluid containing an actinic radiation-curable resin is fed onto the supporting substrate having the information-recording area formed thereon and the supporting substrate is rotated for spreading the coating fluid over the supporting substrate to thereby form a resin layer, and subsequently, the resin layer is irradiated with actinic radiation to thereby cure said resin layer while reducing the rotation speed of the supporting substrate. This method is capable of suppressing the size of the bump formed in the outer peripheral region of the light-transmitting layer.