Optical recording medium and optical recording apparatus

An optical recording medium comprising a recording layer consisting of a matrix polymer;

• a charge-generating material capable or generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation;
• a charge-transport material enabling at least said hole to be transported to isolate said electron and said hole;
• and a trapping material retaining said hole, the optical characteristics of said recording layer being changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of said hole and said electron, and said trapping material being a molecule represented by the following general formula (B):
• wherein CB1 is a conjugated system;
• and RC is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group selected from the groups shown below and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system:

An optical recording medium comprising a recording layer consisting of a matrix polymer;

• a charge-generating material capable of generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation;
• a charge-transport material enabling at least said hole to be transported to isolate said electron and said hole;
• and a trapping material retaining said hole, the optical characteristics of said recording layer being changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of said hole and said electron, and said trapping material being a molecule represented by the following general formula (C):
• wherein CB2 is a conjugated system selected from the groups shown below:
• wherein X is nitrogen atom, oxygen atom or sulfur atom;
• and
• Rc is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group selected from the groups shown below and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system:
• and Rd is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system, or may be selected from a group shown below:
• wherein R1 and R2 may be the same with or different from each other and are individually hydrogen atom, alkyl group, alkoxy group, phenyl group, naphthyl group, tolyl group, benzyl group, benzothiazole group, benzoxazolyl group, benzopyrrol group, benzoimidazolyl group, naphthothiazolyl group, naphthoxazolyl group, naphthopyrrol group, naphthoimidazolyl group or hydroxyl group;
• at least one of R1 and R2 being hydrogen atom, or a group to be bonded, through oxygen atom or saturated carbon atom, to nitrogen atom.

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

• a light source emitting a beam;
• a beam splitter separating said beam into two beams;
• a first optical device which is configured to provide one of these separated beams with information to be recorded;
• an optical medium comprising a recording layer consisting of a matrix polymer;
• a charge-generating material capable of generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation;
• a charge-transport material enabling at least said hole to be transported to isolate said electron and said hole;
• and a trapping material retaining said hole, the optical characteristics of said recording layer being changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of said hole and said electron;
• and
• a second optical device which is configured to directing said separated beams so as to intersect each other within said recording medium, said separated beams making interference fringes within said recording layer of said optical recording medium to write information;
• wherein said trapping material is a molecule represented by the following general formula (A):
• wherein CB1 is a conjugated system;
• and Ra and Rb may be the same with or different from each other and are individually a group having electron donativity, at least one of Ra and Rb being a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group selected from the following groups and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system:
• and wherein a residual group having electron donativity and being other than said nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group is at least one selected from the group consisting of allyl alkane;
• nitrogen-containing cyclic compound;
• oxygen-containing compound;
• sulfur-containing compound;
• and the following groups:
• wherein R1 and R2 may be the same with or different from each other and are individually hydrogen atom, alkyl group, alkoxy group, phenyl group, naphthyl group, tolyl group, benzyl group, benzothiazole group, benzoxazolyl group, benzopyrrol group, benzoimidazolyl group, naphthothiazolyl group, naphthoxazolyl group, naphthopyrrol group, naphthoimidazolyl group or hydroxyl group;
• at least one of R1 and R2 being hydrogen atom, or a group to be bonded, through oxygen atom or saturated carbon atom, to nitrogen atom.

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

• a light source emitting a beam;
• a beam splitter separating said beam into two beams;
• a first optical device which is configured to provide one of these separated beams with information to be recorded;
• an optical medium comprising a recording layer consisting of a matrix polymer;
• a charge-generating material capable of generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation;
• a charge-transport material enabling at least said hole to be transported to isolate said electron and said hole;
• and a trapping material retaining said hole, the optical characteristics of said recording layer being changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of said hole and said electron;
• and
• a second optical device which is configured to directing said separated beams so as to intersect each other within said recording medium, said separated beams making interference fringes within said recording layer of said optical recording medium to write information;
• wherein said trapping material is a molecule represented by the following general formula (B):
• wherein CB1 is a conjugated system;
• and RC is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group selected from the groups shown below and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system:

An optical recording apparatus comprising:

• a light source emitting a beam;
• a beam splitter separating said beam into two beams;
• a first optical device which is configured to provide one of these separated beams with information to be recorded;
• an optical medium comprising a recording layer consisting of a matrix polymer;
• a charge-generating material capable of generating an electron and a hole by light irradiation;
• a charge-transport material enabling at least said hole to be transported to isolate said electron and said hole;
• and a trapping material retaining said hole, the optical characteristics of said recording layer being changed in accordance with changes in spatial distribution of said hole and said electron;
• and
• a second optical device which is configured to directing said separated beams so as to intersect each other within said recording medium, said separated beams making interference fringes within said recording layer of said optical recording medium to write information;
• wherein said trapping material is a molecule represented by the following general formula (C):
• wherein CB2 is a conjugated system selected from the groups shown below:
• wherein X is nitrogen atom, oxygen atom or sulfur atom;
• and
• Rc is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group selected from the groups shown below and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system:
• and Rd is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group and bonded through an unsaturated carbon atom of said heterocyclic group to said conjugated system, or may be selected from the group shown below:
• wherein R1 and R2 may be the same with or different from each other and are individually hydrogen atom, alkyl group, alkoxy group, phenyl group, naphthyl group, tolyl group, benzyl group, benzothiazole group, benzoxazolyl group, benzopyrrol group, benzoimidazolyl group, naphthothiazolyl group, naphthoxazolyl group, naphthopyrrol group, naphthoimidazolyl group or hydroxyl group;
• at least one of R1 and R2 being hydrogen atom, or a group to be bonded, through oxygen atom or saturated carbon atom, to nitrogen atom.