Radiation Sensitive Product Patents (Class 430/495.1)
  • Patent number: 6299957
    Abstract: In an apparatus for fabricating a carbon coating, an object such as a magnetic recording medium is disposed on a side of an electrode connected to a high-frequency power supply. Ultrasonic vibrations are supplied to the object. Discharge is generated between the electrode connected to the high-frequency power supply and a grounded electrode to fabricate a carbon coating on the surface of the object. Also, an electrode interval is set to 6 mm or less, pressure between the electrodes is set to 15 Torr to 100 Torr, whereby high-density plasma is generated to form an ion sheath on an anode side. Therefore, a coating is fabricated on the surface of the object by bombardment of ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kenji Itoh, Shigenori Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6296915
    Abstract: In a phase change optical recording medium, by determining heat conductivity relatively higher in one of interference layers on and under the recording layer, heat absorbed into the recording layer can be released moderately through an interference layer. Thereby, cross erasure caused by heating of adjacent tracks can be prevented, and at the same time, excessive heat radiation is prevented from a part of the recording layer nearer to the substrate to thereby maintain appropriate heat in the recording layer. As a result, cross-erasure is prevented, and data can be rewritten with the supply of typical recording/erasure power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Keiichiro Yusu, Sumio Ashida, Akira Kikitsu, Toshihiko Nagase, Katsutaro Ichihara, Naomasa Nakamura, Naoki Morishita, Katsumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6291047
    Abstract: An information recording medium comprising a substrate having a recording surface provided with emboss pits or guiding grooves, a reflective film formed on the recording surface of the substrate, and a first protective film formed on the reflective film. This information recording medium is featured in that both sides of the information recording medium are constituted by a first surface provided with the protective film and by a second surface formed opposite to the first surface, and that an irradiated light beam is irradiated through the first surface, a recorded information being reproduced based on changes in light intensity of the reflected light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tadashi Kobayashi, Hisashi Yamada
  • Patent number: 6291045
    Abstract: An optical information recording medium having a recording layer comprising a dye layer containing a trimethine-based cyanine dye having nitro group attached to a benzene ring or to a naphthalene ring, both being bonded to indole ring, is capable of minimizing the second peak in relative to the main peak shown in FIG. 1, thus enabling the spectrum consisting of a main peak and a second peak to become sharp. The recording layer is capable of performing the recording and reading with a laser beam having a wavelength falling within a range of 620 nm to 690 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Tajima, Toru Fujii, Yuji Tomizawa, Emiko Hamada
  • Patent number: 6291586
    Abstract: An ultraviolet light absorbing material that resists blooming and migration is made up of a polyurethane or polyurea polymer and an amide functional ultraviolet light absorbing compound, wherein the polymer and the amide functional ultraviolet light absorbing compound are hydrogen bonded to one another. Polymeric films that contain a polymeric matrix and the ultraviolet light absorbing material are useful as the top layer in multilayer constructions such as retroreflective sheetings and conformable marking sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: James E. Lasch, David B. Olson, David M. Burns
  • Patent number: 6291046
    Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a first substrate; at least a first dielectric layer and a recording layer for signal recording provided on a surface of the first substrate; and a second substrate. The first substrate and the second substrate are assembled together in the state of being warped in planar symmetry and flattened. The first dielectric layer and the recording layer is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Ohno, Hidemi Isomura, Akihiro Moteki
  • Patent number: 6287660
    Abstract: An optical recording medium having a light absorption layer formed on a substrate having a spiral groove by means of the vacuum deposition and a reflective layer formed on the light absorption layer, wherein: (1) the groove of the substrate has a groove section of which cross section is a trapezoidal; (2) a ratio of a groove width (W) to a track pitch (TP) (W/TR) of the substrate falls within a range of 0.25 to 0.45; (3) a groove depth (D) is 20 to 80% of (&lgr;/4n) (wherein A is a wavelength of a laser beam, and n is a refractive index of the substrate); and (4) angles a1 and a2 formed by both side surfaces of the groove section and surfaces vertical to a groove bottom surface on cross lines between the both side surfaces of the groove section and the groove bottom surface are 45 to 80°, and a difference between a1 and a2 (a1−a2) is not more than ±10°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomiharu Hosaka, Yoshihiro Tosaki, Toshiaki Kunieda, Yukako Doi, Katsuyuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6284445
    Abstract: Reference calibration patches produced by a sequence of exposures on a photographic element, the photographic element exhibiting linear defects in a predominant direction, are arranged in a two dimensional array and exposures are assigned to the reference calibration patches in the array such that nearest neighbors in the predominant direction are not nearest neighbors in the exposure sequence, whereby the effects of a linear defect are reduced; and the maximum number of steps in the exposure sequence between a reference calibration patch and that of its nearest neighbors in any direction is less than a predetermined number, whereby the effects of flare are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John T. Keech, Donald O. Bigelow, Nathan D. Cahill, Thomas F. Powers, John P. Spence
  • Patent number: 6284350
    Abstract: According to the present invention there is provided an imaged element comprising an optical card and underneath a layer package comprising in the order given an optional image receiving layer, a prelayer, an interlayer and a transparent support, at least the optional image receiving layer or the prelayer comprising an image, characterized in that the interlayer contains a polyurethane and a cross-linking agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert
    Inventors: Leo Vermeulen, Michel Boulonne, Walther Wouters, Diane Vertruyen
  • Patent number: 6280808
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for formation of high quality plastic sheet in a continuous fashion. Also disclosed are a variety of optical and electronic display applications for high quality plastic sheet produced in a continuous fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Rohm and Haas Company
    Inventors: Steven David Fields, Garo Khanarian, Jeffrey Lawrence Daecher, Alan Daniel Stein
  • Patent number: 6280809
    Abstract: A luminous disk is disclosed in this invention. The luminous disk comprises a disk lamination and a light emitting lamination. The disk lamination at least comprises a substrate and a metallic reflecting layer. The light emitting lamination at least comprises an electroluminescence section having a first side plane and a second side plane, and a biasing section for applying an external electrical signal onto the first and the second side planes so as to make the electroluminescence section luminesce. Basing on the above structure, a new disk having a redoubled effect is available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Ritek Corporation
    Inventors: Shaw-Jong Wang, Chi-Jung Shen, Hsin-Hua Chang
  • Patent number: 6280810
    Abstract: An information recording medium includes a substrate, a first protective layer formed on the substrate, a recording layer formed on the first protective layer, and a second protective layer formed on the recording layer. The first protective layer has a thickness in a range from 65 nm to 130 nm. The second protective layer has a thickness in a range from 15 nm to 45 nm. The recording layer has a thickness in a range from 15 nm to 35 nm and is composed of a phase-change alloy with the composition in terms of atomic percentage being represented by the formula AgaInbSbcTed where 0<a<6, 3≦b≦15, 50≦c≦65, 20≦d≦35, a+b+c+d=100. The information recording medium is configured to provide capabilities of reading, writing and overwriting of information at linear rotation rates ranging from 1.2 m/s to 11.2 m/s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Nakamura, Katsuyuki Yamada, Eiji Noda, Ippei Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6280811
    Abstract: A copper-based or silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or semi-reflective layer of optical discs. Alloy additions to silver include gold, palladium, copper, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, beryllium and platinum. Alloy additions to copper include silver, cadmium, gold, magnesium, aluminum, beryllium, zirconium, and nickel. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Target Technology Company, LLC
    Inventor: Han H. Nee
  • Patent number: 6277460
    Abstract: In the optical recording medium including a substrate having pregrooves, and a metal recording thin film, a buffering layer and a reflecting layer which are stacked in sequence on the substrate, the buffering layer is formed of one or more dyes having a refractive index (n) of 1.4 or more and an absorption coefficient (k) of 1.6 or less at a wavelength of 650 nm, and a refractive index (n) of 1.8 or more and an absorption coefficient (k) of 0.001 or more at a wavelength of 780 nm. Therefore, the optical recording medium is reproducible by a CD player and a DVD player. Also, due to a metal recording thin film layer formed on a substrate, the amplitude of a recording signal is increased and the optical reliability is also improved. Also, because of a thin buffering layer, the manufacturing costs can be reduced. Also, by adding a material whose weight is rapidly lost during decomposition to the buffering layer, the recording sensitivity and the optical reliability can be much improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyung-sun Min, Sung-hoon Kim, Soo-hyung Lee
  • Patent number: 6268034
    Abstract: An optical information recording medium of the present invention includes a transparent substrate and a multi-layered film formed on the transparent substrate. The multi-layered film includes a lower protective layer, a recording layer that changes reversibly between different states detectable optically by irradiation of light beams, an upper protective layer, an intermediate layer and a reflective layer in this order from the side near the transparent substrate. Of the upper protective layer, the intermediate layer and the reflective layer, the heat conductivity of the layer closest to the recording layer is the smallest of the three layers, and thereafter the heat conductivities of the others increase with increasing the distance from the recording layer, and the thickness of the recording layer is from 4 nm to 16 nm. In addition, a light absorption layer can be used in place of the intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Kitaura, Katsumi Kawahara, Noboru Yamada, Hiroyuki Ohta
  • Patent number: 6268058
    Abstract: A security card is disclosed which comprises a laminate of a flexible glass layer and a support, characterised in that the glass layer has a thickness of not more than 350 &mgr;m. The thin glass layer has sufficient flexibility to allow substantial bending of the card without causing breakage of the glass. In addition, the glass layer acts as a security feature because delamination in order to falsify information stored in the card is very difficult without breaking the glass. The glass is also an efficient barrier layer protecting the information stored in the card from mechanical damage and from degradation due to permeation of gases such as oxygen or water vapour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Tahon, Bart Verlinden, Leo Vermeulen, Herman Van Gorp
  • Patent number: 6261661
    Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a first substrate; at least a first dielectric layer and a recording layer for signal recording provided on a surface of the first substrate; and a second substrate. The first substrate and the second substrate are assembled together in the state of being warped in planar symmetry and flattened. The first dielectric layer and the recording layer is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Ohno, Hidemi Isomura, Akihiro Moteki
  • Patent number: 6261660
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing molded discs suitable for use in optical information recording carriers and to the optical information recording carriers thereby obtainable. The process comprises plasticating a homopolymer or a copolymer of methyl methacrylate, injecting the plasticated homopolymer or copolymer into a mold to form a disc and removing the molded disc in a very short cycle time. Good quality discs which are particularly suitable for use in optical information recording carriers may thereby be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Atofina
    Inventors: Michael Stefan Cholod, Donald Richard Hone, David Henry Stone
  • Patent number: 6258433
    Abstract: A half-transmissive film of an optical disk is formed using a Cu oxide instead of Au, while achieving similar reflectivity characteristics to those of Au. Alternatively, the half-transmissive film may comprise a compound of Cu with a corrosion-resistant material, or a stack of layers comprising a lower layer film of Cu, Ag, or Al and an upper layer film of a corrosion-resistant material. Further, the half-transmissive film may comprise ZnS.SiO2, a nitride of Ti, indium-tin-oxide, or an alloy of Au and Cu or a compound including Au and Cu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Okuda, Tetsuo Imada, Shigeru Namiki, Masahiro Yamamoto, Mikio Takebayashi
  • Patent number: 6258432
    Abstract: An optical information recording medium comprising a thin plastic substrate of 0.6 mm or thinner, wherein the substrate is protected against strain without being limited by a film structure and a film formation condition. A single-layer or multilayer thin film (70) is formed on a plastic disk-like substrate having a center hole (10). This thin film (70) has a strain relief area (72) inside a recording area (71). This strain relief area (72) is formed by setting an outer diameter of an undeposited inner portion (5) to a value satisfying the following formula (1), for example: A0≦AX≦−0.172P+0.163 where A0: diameter of center hole, AX: outer diameter of undeposited inner portion, P: total strain occurring in thin film when film depositing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Terada, Tatsuya Okamura, Kazuyuki Furuya
  • Patent number: 6254957
    Abstract: A rewritable optical information medium includes a substrate coated with two carbide layers, a phase-change recording layer between two carbide layers, and a light-absorptive layer of a material like Si, Ge, Mo, or W to slow the cooling when scanned with laser light so that the medium can be used for high data rate recording. The material is capable of a user data bit rate of 50 Mbit/s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Guo-Fu Zhou
  • Patent number: 6251492
    Abstract: An optical recording medium comprising, in the following order, a substrate, a reflecting layer, a lower dielectric layer, an optical recording layer, the optical recording layer recording information by means of change in a physical property of the optical recording layer which is generated by an applied light beam, the change in a physical property of the optical recording layer being conducted at an operating temperature, and an upper dielectric layer, wherein the substrate has a thermal deformation temperature lower than the operating temperature and the optical recording medium further comprises a thermally insulating layer between the substrate and the reflecting layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Teijin Limited
    Inventor: Takashi Tomie
  • Patent number: 6245403
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical storage medium comprising a substrate and a storage layer, wherein the storage layer comprises a compound of the formula (I) or (II) in which A and A′, independently of one another, are unsubstituted or mono- or di-halo-, -hydroxy-, —C1-C6alkyl-, —C1-C6alkoxy-, -cyano- or -nitro-substituted phenyl, pyridyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, furyl or thienyl, which can, if desired, be fused to a benzene ring, are halide, tetrafluoroborate or unsubstituted or with one or more halogen substituted C1-C6alkane-sulfonate, benzenesulfonate, C1-C6alkylbenzenesulfonate, C1-C6alkylsulfate or di-C1-C6alkyl-phosphonate of N—C1-C6alkyl-pyridiniumyl, or are unsubstituted or mono- or di-hydroxy-substituted C2-C6alkyl or C2-C6alkenyl, whose chain may be uninterrupted or interrupted by one or two oxygen atoms, B and B′, independently of one another, are 2 H, S, S2 or SO2, and n and n′, independently of one another, are each a number from 1 to 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation
    Inventors: Heinz Spahni, Jin Mizuguchi, Beat Schmidhalter, Annemarie Wolleb, Jean-Luc Budry, Gérald Giller
  • Patent number: 6245404
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical disc capable of effectively reducing a reproduction signal jitter value and obtaining a wider record power margin assuring a reproduction limit jitter value to obtain a preferable recording/reproduction characteristic even after a number of times of recording repeated. The optical disc includes the following films successively formed on a substrate 2: a first dielectric film 3; a phase change recording film 4 whose phase is changed between a crystalline state and an amorphous state thereby to record an information signal; a second dielectric film 5; and a light reflection film formed on the phase change recording film 4 and constituted by an Al alloy containing Cu in a range from 0.1 to 1.0 atomic %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Saito, Minoru Kikuchi, Yoshihiro Akimoto, Fuminori Takase
  • Patent number: 6242066
    Abstract: Such an optical recording medium is disclosed that includes at least one layer of an information layer (11) for which at least any of an optical recording or reproducing is performed with an optical parameter of N.A. (numerical aperture)/&lgr;(wavelength)≧1.2[&mgr;m−1], and in at least its information signal area, its focus error amount is equal to or less than ±&lgr;/(N.A.)2/8 in a band equal to or more than a focus servo cut-off frequency of an optical recording and reproducing apparatus which performs at least any of the optical recording or reproducing while within ±&lgr;/(N.A.)2/4 when only the reproduction is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamasaki, Tomomi Yukumoto, Motohiro Furuki, Toshiyuki Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 6242067
    Abstract: In an optical recording medium using writing and reading light having a wavelength of up to 690 nm and having a recording layer and preferably a reflective layer, the recording layer contains a chelate compound having an azo compound of specific structure as a ligand (i.e., azo metal complex dye). This results in an optical recording medium of the heat mode having advantages including the dye's sufficient solubility in a coating solvent which does not attack polycarbonate substrates and improved write/read characteristics with light having a wavelength of up to 690 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Emiko Kambe, Atsushi Monden
  • Patent number: 6242068
    Abstract: A recordable optical medium includes a transparent substrate, a dye recording layer on the transparent substrate, a reflective layer provided on the dye layer wherein the reflective layer comprises a mixture of silver and palladium in such proportions that the palladium comprises between 0.25 and 2.5 atomic percent of the mixture, and a protective layer formed over the reflective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Donald R. Preuss
  • Patent number: 6238763
    Abstract: A rewritable optical recording disk has an increased thickness that is greater than or equal to approximately 1.5 mm. In particular, the disk may have a substrate with a thickness that is greater than or equal to approximately 2.3 mm and less than or equal to approximately 2.6 mm. The increased thickness of the substrate enhances the flatness of the recording disk relative to a recording plane. In particular, the increased thickness reduces process-induced surface variations such as warpage and tilt, and provides the disk with increased stiffness to resist deflection during use. The enhanced flatness enables data to be recorded on the disk in a consistent manner with greater spatial densities using techniques such as near-field, air-incident recording. The resulting disk thereby yields greater spatial density and data storage capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Imation Corp.
    Inventor: Chad R. Sandstrom
  • Patent number: 6231945
    Abstract: The object is to hold the recording, reproduction and rewrite characteristics better than in the prior art. An information recording medium comprises an information recording thin film as a recording layer formed on a substrate for recording and/or reproducing information by the change in the atomic arrangement caused by the radiation of light. The medium further comprises at least one protective layer. The protective layer and the recording layer are formed in that order from the light incidence side, followed by forming at least one absorption control layer, thereby exhibiting a superior rewrite characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Miyamoto, Akemi Hirotsune, Keikichi Andoo, Tetsuya Nishida, Motoyasu Terao, Junko Ushiyama, Yumiko Anzai
  • Patent number: 6228457
    Abstract: There is disclosed an optical data storage medium in which the weather resistance of the semitransparent reflective film is improved and the adhesive property between the semitransparent reflective film and a substrate is enhanced, and which has a higher reliability. In an optical data storage medium (6), on the side on which a reproduction light (8) is incident, a first information layer (9) is located while on the side opposite to the side on which the reproduction light (8) is incident, a second information layer (10) is located. A semitransparent reflective film (3) of first information layer (9) is AgPdCu alloy thin films containing 0.5 to 3.0 weight % Pd and 0.1 to 3.0 weight % Cu or AgPdTi alloy thin films containing 0.5 to 3.0 weight % Pd and 0.1 to 3.0 weight % Ti. At the wavelength 650 nm, the optimum film thickness of AgPdCu alloy thin film is 5 to 18 nm and the optimum film thickness of AgPdTi alloy thin film is 10 to 25 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignees: Furuyametals Co. Ltd., Sony Corporation, Sony Disc Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Ueno, Keiichiro Jinushi, Katsuhisa Aratani, Masaaki Iwasaki, Ryohei Miyake
  • Patent number: 6228456
    Abstract: Hotmelt adhesives with a melt viscosity of >100,000 mPas at 160° C. are suitable for bonding substrate halves in the production of digital versatile discs (DVDs) and afford major process-related advantages over known UV-curing adhesives. In their pigmented embodiment, they are able to combine the three functions of adhesive bonding, protecting the metallic reflection layer against corrosion and forming a covering background for a text/graphics layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
    Inventors: Ruediger Butterbach, Ulrike Maassen, Siegfried Kopannia, Jean Louis Requin
  • Patent number: 6224959
    Abstract: Prepits in a sector header area are arranged on center lines of groove tracks or land tracks, and header signals are played back in a drive by using sum signals of split sensors, thereby providing resistance to disc tilt or track offset and improving margins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kimio Nagasaka, Akira Miyamae
  • Patent number: 6224960
    Abstract: A recording medium includes a transparent substrate; a crystalline phase-change layer provided over the transparent substrate; a dielectric layer provided over the phase-change layer; a metallic reflector layer provided over the dielectric layer; and the crystalline phase-change layer having a thickness and phase-change material selected so that data can be recorded in it on a first write, but on second or subsequent writes the written data results in at least a 50% increase in data jitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yuan-Sheng Tyan, George R. Olin, Guiseppe Farruggia, Bruno Primerano, Fridrich Vazan, Thomas R. Cushman
  • Patent number: 6221454
    Abstract: A bonded optical disk comprising first and second transparent substrates bonded with a light-permeable, pressure sensitive adhesive layer and at least one information recording layer wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive layer has been formed from a pressure sensitive adhesive precursor, having a viscosity of 10 to 5000 cps and being applied onto at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate by radiation curing and has a gel fraction of not less than 50% and a storage modulus of 1.0×104 to 1.0×107 dyn/cm2 at 25° C., or in place of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer, an adhesive layer derived from a radiation curable adhesive precursor having a viscosity of 500 to 10000 cps, and the adhesive precursor is subjected to a higher pressure than an atmospheric pressure, prior to being irradiated, as well as a method and an apparatus for producing a bonded optical disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Kazuta Saito, Katsuya Takamori, Yorinobu Takamatsu
  • Patent number: 6221455
    Abstract: A multi-layered optical disc having superior recording/reproducing characteristics, in which the recording density in three-dimensional direction can be increased to increase the recording capacity, and its manufacturing method. A multi-layered optical disc 1 has a light reflecting layer 3, a second information recording layer 4, a transparent layer 5, a first information recording layer 6 and a light-transmitting layer 7 sequentially formed on a major surface 2a of its substrate 2. The laser light is illuminated from the light-transmitting layer 7 of the multi-layered optical disc 1 to record and/or reproduce information signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Yasuda, Kotaro Kurokawa, Yuji Kuroda
  • Patent number: 6217968
    Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium comprises, on a substrate, a reflective layer, a first dielectric layer, a recording layer, and a second dielectric layer successively in this order, for being irradiated with a recording or reproducing light beam coming from a side of the second dielectric layer. A diamond-like carbon layer as a self-lubricating layer is formed on the second dielectric layer. An optical head comprises a floating type slider installed with a solid immersion lens. A protective film having a self-lubricating property may be also formed on a bottom surface of the slider opposing to the optical recording medium. Even when the floating position of the optical head is varied, and the optical head contacts with the surface of the optical recording medium, then the sliding scratch scarcely occurs, because the optical head smoothly glides on the recording medium surface. A lubricating layer may be further formed on the self-lubricating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Maro, Hideo Daimon, Osamu Ishizaki, Tatsuo Araki, Takeshi Ohnuki
  • Patent number: 6214433
    Abstract: Optical disc, e.g., CD-R, DVD, DVD-R, comprising a polymer substrate and a radiation-cured coating provided by curing a radiation-curable coating composition having a pH greater than or equal to 3 and comprising at least one acrylate monomer, and advantageously diacrylate monomers and oligomers and monomers having acrylate functionalities of from 1 to at least 3, wherein the optical disc exhibits jitter of no greater than about 35 ns after being subjected to an environment having a temperature of at least 80° C. and a relative humidity of at least 85% for a period of at least 96 hours.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: DSM N.V.
    Inventors: Christopher F. Tronche, Chau T. Ha
  • Patent number: 6214432
    Abstract: A method for controlling the bonding layer thickness between facing surfaces of two optical discs having information areas during manufacture of an optical storage apparatus wherein a plurality of microspheres of a predetermined uniform diameter are selectively placed on a facing surface of one of the optical discs. A bonding material is placed on the facing surface of the other of the optical discs. Pressure is thereafter applied to the two optical discs to form a substantially uniform bonding layer thickness between the two optical discs upon curing of the bonding material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignees: Sony Corporation,, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: David Jeffrey Chullino, Jr., Robert Lowell Russell
  • Patent number: 6214431
    Abstract: The present invention provides a new category of information storage material, nonstoichiometric metal-organic complex Ag1−&bgr;(TCNQ), which is particularly suitable for digital video disc (DVD-R) operated by blue laser (wavelength 450 nm) or red laser (wavelength 650 nm), wherein, Ag is silver, TCNQ is tetracyano-p-quinodimethane C12H4N4, &bgr; is a parameter chosen by its performance and &bgr;≦0.4. The material can produce apparent absorption change under the incidence of the above-mentioned two different lasers. When used as optical recording medium, it has the advantages of high signal-to-noise ratio, fast response and low cost. The actual number of write-erase cycles can be larger than 20. Therefore, its performance is better than a conventional DVD-R.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Inventors: Zhongyi Hua, Guorong Chen
  • Patent number: 6214430
    Abstract: A disc recording medium that is capable of being rotated at a high speed to improve an information transfer rate. The recording medium has a residual stress acting as a tensile force. An annular reinforcing member having a temperature coefficient different from the disc and adapted to be bonded to the disc is used in the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Soo Kyung Kim, Seong Jin Park
  • Patent number: 6214916
    Abstract: A resin composition having laser marking properties from a NdYAG radiation laser wherein said composition comprises a polyester thermoplastic resin, a sufficient amount of light pigment for forming a light background coloration, and an effective amount of marking agent wherein said polyester thermoplastic resin decomposes in laser struck areas to form dark colored markings in laser struck areas on the light background coloration wherein the marking agent is selected from the group consisting of boron phosphate, zinc oxide, zinc stannate, zinc hydroxy stannate, tin (II) oxalate and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Franciscus P. M. Mercx, Hendrik Verhoogt, Cor van der Zalm
  • Patent number: 6210872
    Abstract: A novel optical film capable of readily vitrifying the tendency and state of liquid crystal alignment, excellent in the ability to retain the alignment state, and suitable for the application to optical elements. The film is produced from a liquid-crystal material containing as the essential ingredient a liquid-crystal polyester having structural units (A) and (B) as the essential unit, exhibiting a vitrified state at a temperature lower than the liquid-crystal transition point, and having a logarithmic viscosity number (&eegr;) of 0.04-0.4 dl/g as measured at 30° C. in a phenol/tetrachloroethane solvent (60/40 by weight), wherein each X represents independently O or C═O; each Y represents independently a group selected from among F, Cl, Br and 1-4C alkyls; and n is 0 or 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Hosaki, Yoshihiro Kumagai, Tadahiro Kaminade
  • Patent number: 6210770
    Abstract: A phase-change optical disc has a recording layer formed from a phase-change material switchable between a crystalline state and an amorphous state. The recording layer is illuminated signal-wise by a light is focused onto the recording layer to change the phase thereof from crystalline to amorphous, to thereby write an information signal onto the recording layer. The phase-change material contains a GeSbTe alloy. The recording layer is formed by sputtering in an Ar gas atmosphere containing at least either N2 or O2 gas or both. The optical recording medium exhibits improved durability after repeated recording and maintains a stable and good write/read characteristic even after repeated cycles of signal recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Kikuchi, Yoshihiro Akimoto, Fuminori Takase, Nobuhiro Saito, Noriko Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 6207247
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods for making mold tools. More particularly, the mold tools are used for molding a resin substrate which has fine pits, i.e., concavities and protuberances. The invention also pertains to a method for manufacturing a resin substrate. Such resin substrates may be used as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a hard disk, etc., for recording data. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first metallic (Ni) mold tool (father) is made which is a duplicate of a master substrate, then a resin mold tool (mother) is made which is a duplicate of the first metallic mold tool and finally a second metallic (Ni) mold tool (son) is made which is a duplicate of the resin mold tool. Both the father and son may be referred to “as a stamper”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Shiji Morita
  • Patent number: 6203876
    Abstract: An information recording medium composed of 1) a transparent support, 2) a recording layer which is composed of an organic dye having an oxidation potential in terms of Po and an organic oxidizing agent having a reduction potential in terms of Pr in which the oxidation potential and the reduction potential satisfy the condition of 0.4V<Po−Pr<1.0V, and 3) a light-reflecting layer on the recording layer shows improved light-resistance and endurance as well as good recording and reproducing characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinnichi Morishima, Koji Wariishi, Toshio Ishida, Michihiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 6200730
    Abstract: A chemical composition is provided for the manufacture of devices for storing and/or displaying information, comprising a network having a molecule which is formed from a metallic element Fe(II) which is bonded to a 1-2-4 triazole ligand (H-Trz), which molecule further comprises one or more than one anions A selected from BF4−, ClO4−, CO32−, Br−, Cl−, in accordance with the formulation: FeII (H-Trz)3A2, characterized in that this composition is used in the pure state in either one of the two crystalline phases (&agr;, &bgr;) at least one of which, referred to as the second phase (&bgr;), can be thermally induced on the basis of the other phase, referred to as the first phase (&agr;), at a temperature which is equal to or higher than a first reference temperature (To), which phases each show thermally inducible spin transitions between a low-spin state at a low first temperature (T&agr;1, T&bgr;1) and a high-spin state at a high second temperature (T&agr;2, T&bgr;2), the spin tr
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Olivier Khan, Charlotte Jay, Jonas Krober, Renee Claude, Francoise Groliere
  • Patent number: 6194046
    Abstract: An optical recording medium having sufficient repetition recording durability and its manufacturing method. A first dielectric layer 2 is layered on a major surface 1a of a substrate 1, and a recording layer 5, made up of two layers, namely a first thin film 3 and a second thin film 4 having different crystallization start temperatures, is formed on the first dielectric layer 2. A second dielectric layer 6, a reflective layer 7 and a protective layer 8 are then sequentially formed. One of the first thin film 3 or the second thin film 4 preferably contains nitrogen or oxygen. It is more desirable that the first thin film 3 lying towards the substrate 1 contains nitrogen or oxygen. The difference between the crystallization start temperature of the first thin film 3 and that of the second thin film 4 be 20° C. or more. It is more desirable that the crystallization start temperature of the first thin film 3 lying towards the substrate 1 be higher by 20° C. or more than that of the second thin film 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Abiko, Kazutomo Miyata
  • Patent number: 6190750
    Abstract: A rewritable single-sided double layer optical information medium having a first recording stack with a phase change recording layer sandwiched between two dielectric layers. The recording stack is sufficiently transmissive to ensure proper reading/writing of the second recording stack. For this purpose, the recording stack includes a thin metal layer and a further dielectric layer. The laser beam can be focused on the first recording stack or on the second recording stack, thus doubling the storage capacity of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Harm A. Wierenga, Johannes C. N. Rijpers
  • Patent number: 6187406
    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 %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Katsutaro Ichihara, Akiko Hirao, Hideyuki Nishizawa, Toshihiko Nagase
  • Patent number: 6183829
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for formation of high quality plastic sheet in a continuous fashion. Also disclosed are a variety of optical and electronic display applications for high quality plastic sheet produced in a continuous fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Rohm and Haas Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lawrence Daecher, Steven David Fields, Garo Khanarian, Alan Daniel Stein