Element for recording by thermal deformation
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsHarold T. Thomas, Joseph J. Wrobel
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Abstract
A recording element is disclosed which is capable of providing high-quality, high information-density recording by thermal deformation. The element comprises a support having thereon a layer of amorphous material. The amorphous material is capable of being thermally deformed to form depressions surrounded by sharply defined ridges when impinged upon by a high energy-density recording beam. The amorphous material comprises either a binder and a dye or a certain solvent-coatable dye, Iosol Red. The amorphous material must have an absorption factor, as herein defined, greater than 20. The depressions which are formed in the described material are such that they are readable by a reading beam which is not absorbed by the material.
Claims30
A recording element comprising a support having thereon a recording layer of an amorphous material having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and comprising a mixture of a dye and a binder wherein:
- (a) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (b) said amorphous material is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge, wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer, which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
A recording element comprising a support having thereon a recording layer of an amorphous material having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and comprising a mixture of a dye and a binder wherein:
- (a) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (b) said layer of amorphous material has a thickness less than 0.45 micron,
- (c) said amorphous material is organic solvent-soluble,
- and
- (d) said amorphous material is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge, wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer, which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
An information record comprising a support having thereon a recorded layer of an amorphous material having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and comprising a mixture of a dye and a binder wherein:
- (a) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (b) said recorded layer has a plurality of deformations having a size smaller than 1.5 microns, said deformations comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer, which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
A method for writing and reading a high information-density record, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) writing said high information-density record on a recording element with a writing beam of high-energy-density radiation of a first wavelength, said recording element comprising a support having thereon a recording layer of an amorphous material having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and comprising a mixture of a dye and a binder or consisting essentially of the dye Iosol Red, wherein:
- (i) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (ii) said writing beam produces a recorded layer comprising encoded information in the form of a plurality of deformations in said recording layer, said deformations comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer;
- and
- (b) reading the resulting high information-density record with a reading beam of high-energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
A mold for use in the production of a replicate information record having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm/cm, said mold comprising a metal layer containing a plurality of deformations having a size smaller than 1.5 microns, said deformations comprising a raised area surrounded by a sharply defined recessed ridge wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole/depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between a recording beam and the layer which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
A method of forming a recording element having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and comprising the step of coating a support with a recording layer of an amorphous material comprising a mixture of a dye and a binder wherein:
- (a) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (b) said amorphous material is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge, wherein the width of the rigde is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer, which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
A recording element comprising a support having thereon a recording layer of an amorphous material having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and consisting essentially of the dye Iosol Red wherein:
- (a) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (b) said amorphous material is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge, wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the undeformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer, which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
An information record comprising a support having thereon a recording layer of an amorphous material having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 40 decibels and consisting essentially of the dye Iosol Red wherein:
- (a) said amorphous material has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength wherein the absorption factor is a product of the weight fraction of dye included in the amorphous material and the molar extinction coefficient of the dye at the wavelength of a recording beam of choice (.epsilon..sub..lambda.), divided by the molecular weight of the dye (MW), and having the units of liter per gm-cm;
- (b) said amorphous material is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge, wherein the width of the ridge is less than or equal to the breadth of the hole or depression, as measured in the plane of the underformed outer surface of the layer and in the direction of the relative motion, if any, between the recording beam and the layer, which deformation represents encoded information capable of being detected by a beam of high energy-density radiation of said second wavelength.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.