JP2015060001A - Information carrier, and image information-forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information carrier able to be subjected to a postscript of optional information by using only normal heating and compressing means, without employing a special and expensive raw material for a hologram layer itself or causing large damage such as breakage of a reflection layer disposed on the hologram layer, while relief holograms are mass-manufactured by pressing an original plate and thereby duplicating an irregular shape of a surface.SOLUTION: An irregular shape of a surface of a relief hologram is covered with a protection layer 4 via a gap, thereby postscript of optional information can be carried out by using only normal heating and compressing means. Thus, an information carrier 1 is configured.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information carrier such as an identification card and a credit card, and more particularly to an information carrier having a hologram layer on which a hologram relief is formed and an image information forming method.

  Holograms are used for novelty products, etc. due to their decorativeness, effects due to three-dimensional effect, etc., and are also used as a means for preventing counterfeiting of information carriers such as securities, credit cards, ID cards, etc. ing.

(Main application) The main use of the information carrier of the present invention is an information carrier used in the field of anti-counterfeiting and design, etc., specifically,
(1) Various product fields where authenticity of genuine products is significant, such as genuine products of manufacturers and manufacturers, (2) Fields where consumers are strongly required that the products themselves are genuine products, or sheets, etc. Fields that increase the added value of the product, such as improving design by sticking, indicating that the product is expensive, (3) Means of identity verification (ID certificate), (4) Maintaining economic order Fields that are required to be genuine products above, (5) Furthermore, fields for packaging these products and sealing the packaging, (6), or services provided for these items, etc. In particular, manufacturers, manufacturers, publishers, authors, game machine operators, luxury brands, certificate issuers, card security companies, cash vouchers, which are additionally formed on the information carrier by a predetermined image information forming method Ticketing etc. Names of issuers, delivery / delivery companies, sales companies, other related organizations, logos, seals, and other characters, figures, symbols, etc. that have distinctiveness from other companies, that is, brand logo display and authenticity It includes letters and symbols, etc., and the logo, letters, figures, symbols, etc. are fields that enhance (provide) the reliability of the added value and quality assurance of the product, or information support Characters / symbols and the like determined for each body, as well as information unique to the person who owns the information carrier, are suitable for the field where the anti-counterfeiting property and the design property are very advanced.

(Prior Art) From the viewpoint of image reproducibility, ease of production, and cost, there are generally many relief holograms in which a hologram relief having a concavo-convex shape is formed on the surface of the hologram layer. It's being used.

  Relief holograms are mass-produced by duplicating the surface irregularities by pressing the original. By mass-production by duplication, it became possible to produce the same thing in large quantities, but adopting special and expensive materials such as irradiating specific light to the hologram layer itself to change color, or Arbitrary information can be added, such as recording different information one by one using only normal heating and pressurizing means, without using a method of damaging the reflective layer provided on the hologram layer. That was difficult.

Special table 2011-501243 JP-A-9-127854 Japanese Patent No. 4807504 Patent No.3140046

  In the information carrier having the hologram layer on which the hologram relief is formed, the present invention prevents the hologram relief from being deteriorated due to external factors such as scratches and dirt, and minimizes damage to the hologram layer (of course. Further, damage to the “layer” behind the hologram layer is also suppressed.) In addition, new image information is added to the hologram relief by a simple method (using commonly used heating and pressurizing means). An object of the present invention is to provide an information carrier and an image information forming method that can be easily formed.

  The present invention is an information carrier in which a hologram layer is formed on at least one surface of a substrate and a protective layer is formed in contact with the hologram layer, and the surface of the hologram layer in contact with the protective layer is uneven. A hologram relief having a shape is formed, and there is an air gap between the concave-convex recess and the protective layer, and an image information forming method for the information carrier It is an invention.

To achieve the above objective,
The first aspect of the information carrier of the present invention is:
An information carrier in which a hologram layer is formed on at least one surface of a substrate, and a protective layer is formed in contact with the hologram layer, and the surface of the hologram layer in contact with the protective layer has an uneven shape A hologram relief is formed, and an air gap exists between the concave and convex portion of the hologram relief and the protective layer.

According to the information carrier of the first aspect,
An information carrier in which a hologram layer is formed on at least one surface of a substrate, and a protective layer is formed in contact with the hologram layer, and the surface of the hologram layer in contact with the protective layer has an uneven shape A hologram relief is formed, and it is possible to provide an information carrier characterized in that an air gap exists between the concave-convex concave portion of the hologram relief and the protective layer. It is possible to provide an information carrier that can suppress individual damage and can additionally record individual information by a simple method.

The second aspect of the information carrier of the present invention is:
The concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief has an apex of a convex portion in contact with the protective layer.

According to the information carrier of the second aspect,
It is possible to provide the information carrier according to the first aspect, in which the convexity of the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief is in contact with the protective layer, and further suppresses damage to the hologram layer An information carrier that can be used can be provided.

The third aspect of the information carrier of the present invention is:
The vertices of the convex portions of the hologram relief are arranged in a plane. “Vertices are arranged in a plane” means that each vertex can be connected by a plane, although there is some error, or can be connected by a curved surface that is almost flat but has some undulations. Say.

According to the information carrier of the third aspect,
It is possible to provide the information carrier of the first or second aspect characterized in that the vertices of the projections of the hologram relief are arranged in a plane, and can be provided individually and more reliably by a simple method. An information carrier capable of additionally recording information can be provided.

The fourth aspect of the information carrier of the present invention is:
The optical characteristics of the hologram relief are changed by pressing and heating from the side of the protective layer opposite to the side in contact with the hologram layer.

According to the information carrier of the fourth aspect,
The information of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the optical characteristics of the hologram relief are changed by pressing and heating from the side of the protective layer opposite to the side in contact with the hologram layer. A carrier can be provided, and an information carrier capable of reliably adding individual information can be provided by a simpler method.

According to a fifth aspect of the information carrier of the present invention,
The uneven shape of the hologram relief is changed by the pressurization and the heating, and a hologram reproduction image from the uneven shape having the change cannot be visually recognized.

According to the information carrier of the fifth aspect,
Provided is an information carrier characterized in that the uneven shape of the hologram relief is changed by the pressurization and heating, and a hologram reproduction image from the uneven shape having the change cannot be visually recognized. It is possible to provide an information carrier that can suppress damage to the hologram layer and can add individual information more reliably.

An image carrier forming method for an information carrier according to a sixth aspect of the present invention,
A protective layer is provided in contact with the hologram layer and the surface of the hologram layer on which the concave / convex shape of the hologram relief is formed, and there is a gap between the concave / convex concave portion of the hologram relief and the protective layer. A method for forming image information on an information carrier according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein image information is obtained by pressing and heating a part of the hologram relief via the protective layer. It is characterized by forming.

According to the image carrier forming method of the information carrier according to the sixth aspect of the present invention,
A protective layer is provided in contact with the hologram layer and the surface of the hologram layer on which the concave / convex shape of the hologram relief is formed, and there is a gap between the concave / convex concave portion of the hologram relief and the protective layer. A method for forming image information on an information carrier according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein pressurization and heating are performed on a part of the hologram relief via the protective layer, whereby image information is obtained. The image information forming method for the information carrier according to any one of the first to fifth aspects can be provided, and damage to the hologram layer can be suppressed and simplified. In this way, it is possible to provide an image information forming method for an information carrier capable of additionally writing individual information.

An image carrier forming method for an information carrier according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is:
Due to the pressurization and the heating, the height of the convex part of the concavo-convex shape of a part of the hologram relief becomes 9/10 to 6/10 as compared to before the pressurization and the heating. It is characterized by.

According to the image carrier forming method of the information carrier according to the seventh aspect of the present invention,
Due to the pressurization and the heating, the height of the convex part of the concavo-convex shape of a part of the hologram relief becomes 9/10 to 6/10 as compared to before the pressurization and the heating. It is possible to provide an image information forming method for an information carrier according to a sixth aspect characterized by the above, and to provide an image information forming method for an information carrier capable of additionally writing clear individual information. it can.

A hologram, on the other hand, irradiates a “three-dimensional object” to be reproduced as a hologram reproduction image with laser light, which is a temporally and spatially coherent light. “Light” called “object light” reflected, scattered or diffracted on the surface is incident on the photosensitive material at a predetermined angle, and on the other hand, the laser light itself called “reference light” The incident light is incident on the photosensitive material at an angle different from the incident angle of the object light, causing the object light and the reference light to interfere with each other. It is recorded on a photosensitive material.

This hologram forming method is one of the hologram forming methods based on the photographing method, and is also called “two-beam flux method”.

Since the “object light” and the “reference light” are coherent with each other, a clear interference fringe is generated in the photosensitive material, and the interference fringe is recorded.

First, as a simple case, when the reference light and the object light are both parallel light and form a predetermined angle, the difference in the length of the optical path of the two lights to the photosensitive material surface, and therefore two Due to the difference in phase of the two light beams, they are strengthened at one position on the surface of the photosensitive material and weakened at another position. As a result, the photosensitive material has a photosensitive material at equal intervals determined by the angle between the reference light and the object light. Interference fringes extending in the direction perpendicular to the surface are recorded.

The contrast of the interference fringes is greatest when the amplitudes of the reference light and the object light are equal, and decreases as there is a difference. Since the object light is light that changes depending on the three-dimensional shape of the “three-dimensional object” and is not parallel light, the interference fringes are disturbed.

However, the disturbance is caused by a change in the phase of the object light relative to the reference light as a lateral shift of the interference fringe, and a change in the amplitude as a change in contrast. The photosensitive material records all the information on the phase and amplitude of the object light. The A hologram obtained by developing the photosensitive material thus exposed becomes a hologram.

This hologram does not show an image of an object like a photograph taken with an ordinary camera, and appears to be uniformly clouded due to the refractive index distribution, but it is as fine as the wavelength of light. The object information is completely recorded.

As this photosensitive material, a photoresist is used, and the photoresist surface is provided with irregularities of a desired depth by managing the development time of the photoresist. This is a relief hologram, and the irregularities are the same as described above. The depth and period are disturbed, and the disturbance includes information on the phase and amplitude of the object light.

The uneven surface is a hologram relief surface, and the “photosensitive material layer having an uneven surface” at this time is a “hologram layer” having a hologram relief on one surface thereof.

When this hologram is illuminated with, for example, the same laser light as the reference light described above, the interference fringes recorded in the photosensitive material act as a diffraction grating that changes the traveling direction of the light.

When light enters the diffraction grating, in addition to the zero-order diffracted light that is transmitted as it is, two diffracted lights of plus and minus orders are generated in the direction determined by the spacing of the grating, in this case, the spacing of the interference fringes.

  At the time of creating the hologram, when parallel light in which the object light and the reference light form a predetermined angle is used, the plus and minus first-order diffracted lights when the hologram is illuminated are both parallel lights. The former proceeds in the direction in which the original object light passes through the photosensitive material.

Since the actual interference fringes are disturbed by the phase and amplitude of the object light, the plus first-order diffracted light is disturbed so as to correspond to it, and the original object light is reproduced as it is.

When the hologram is observed from the side opposite to the illumination light source, the object is three-dimensionally reproduced at the original position without being disturbed by the zero-order and minus first-order diffracted light. This image is called a direct image, and it becomes a virtual image because it appears as if it were diverging from an object. On the other hand, another minus first-order diffracted light reproduces an image that is reversed from the original object on the right side of the hologram. This is called a conjugate image and becomes a real image because the light is actually focused.

When this direct image is observed by changing the viewing position, it can be confirmed that the relative positions of the front and rear three-dimensional objects are changed and reproduced three-dimensionally.

This situation is the same in the relief hologram. When the hologram relief surface of the hologram forming layer described above is illuminated with a predetermined “reference light”, a hologram reproduction image appears at a predetermined angle.

When this hologram relief surface is positioned as a “reflection surface”, the “reflected light” on the hologram relief surface causes its direct image to appear in a direction determined by a predetermined angle. The real image which is the conjugate image is the same.

  The information carrier of the present invention is a “three-layer laminate including voids” in which a hologram layer is formed on at least one surface of a substrate, and a protective layer is formed in contact with the hologram layer, A hologram relief having a concavo-convex shape is formed on the surface of the hologram layer in contact with the protective layer.

  The hologram layer provided with the holographic relief having this uneven shape adopts “the surface of the photoresist provided with unevenness of the desired depth by controlling the development time of the photoresist, which is the photosensitive material” itself. However, this "" surface of the photoresist provided with irregularities of the desired depth "as a" first master mold ", using a predetermined material, a duplicate plate, A “hologram layer” in which a hologram relief is formed on the surface of a predetermined hologram layer material provided on a predetermined substrate may be used as this duplicate plate as a “second matrix”.

  At this time, the concavo-convex shape of “the surface of the photoresist provided with the concavo-convex of the desired depth” and the concavo-convex shape of the “hologram layer on the substrate” are substantially the same shape. ing.

  In addition, the above-described “photoresist development time management” allows the tops of the concavo-convex convex portions of the hologram relief to be “aligned in a“ planar shape ””. Finish the concavo-convex shape of the convex part with the desired depth on the surface itself so that it is "lined up in a" plane "", or the "hologram layer" on the substrate. It is possible to finish the vertices of the convex parts of the shape so that they are “aligned in a“ planar shape ””.

  In the first place, the hologram relief surface on the photoresist surface does not have special “photoresist development time management” as described above. The “weak” area is a shallow dent, and the vertices of the convex portions existing between the dents remain almost undeveloped, or are developed by almost the same amount, After all it remains in a line.

  However, if the development time is set to “longer” in pursuit of the sharpness of the hologram reproduction image reproduced from the hologram relief, the vertices of those convex portions are not arranged in a plane but are relatively large. It will have a height difference. (In this state, the vertices of these convex portions are no longer arranged in a “plane shape”.)

  Therefore, the protective layer formed in contact with the hologram layer is provided in contact with only the convex portion of the hologram relief, and a “gap” is formed between the hologram relief and the concave portion.

  For this reason, the protective layer needs to have appropriate rigidity in order to maintain the size and shape of the “void”. Further, when the protective layer is heated and pressurized according to the present invention, the "heat" is transmitted from the convex portion of the hologram relief, and the "pressure" is transmitted to the convex portion of the hologram relief. In order to transmit a uniform pressure from the entire surface in contact with the “void”, an appropriate rigidity and heat resistance are also required. This moderate rigidity is represented by “rigidity”.

Rigidity is a kind of elastic modulus and is a physical property value that indicates the difficulty of deformation due to shear force. It is also called shear modulus, shear modulus, shear modulus, shear modulus, and transverse modulus.
Rigidity = (shear stress / shear strain)
= (Shear force / member cross-sectional area) ÷ (shear deformation / member length)
It is represented by

The rigidity as the protective layer is 1.0 MPa to 10 GPa.
When the rigidity of the protective layer is less than 1.0 MPa, the size and shape of the above-mentioned “void” cannot be maintained, and particularly in contact with the void of the protective layer during heating and pressurization. The surface and the protective layer itself are easily deformed, and this deformation fills the “void”, changes the shape of the “void”, reduces the volume, and further, the surface of the protective layer In other words, the surface of the concave portion of the relief will be worn, and the function of the present invention will be difficult to be exhibited.

  If the rigidity of the protective layer exceeds 10 GPa, even if the heating and pressurization of the present invention is applied, the “pressure” does not affect the “void”, that is, the “Pascal principle” The “pressure transmission mechanism” due to this does not function, and the “deformation force” of the convex side surface and the concave bottom surface of the hologram relief is suppressed.

Further, in order to view a hologram reproduction image reproduced by the hologram relief of the hologram layer located behind the protective layer through this protective layer, visible light transmission is required.

Therefore, a transparent thermoplastic resin or a film or sheet made of a thermosetting resin is used for the protective layer.

As a thermoplastic resin,
Vinyl chloride resin, vinylidene chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, polyethylene (rigidity 500 MPa), polypropylene, polystyrene, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyester resin, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide (rigidity 400 MPa), Polyacetal, polycarbonate (rigidity 700 MPa), polyphenylene ether, polyvinylidene fluoride, polysulfone, polyether sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polyamideimide, etc., and mixtures and copolymers thereof,
As the thermosetting resin, epoxy resin (rigidity 800 MPa), melamine resin (rigidity 1.3 GPa), silicon resin, phenol resin, urethane resin, unsaturated polyester resin, urea resin (rigidity 1.7 GPa), etc. , And mixtures and copolymers thereof can be used.

Furthermore, in order to impart heat resistance to these resins, metal fine particles (average particle diameter D50 = 1 nm to 1 μm) may be mixed. Since these metal fine particles have a small particle size, they can exhibit high transparency in a state of being highly dispersed in these resins.

  The thickness of the protective layer is 0.1 to 50.0 μm, preferably 3.0 to 20.0 μm, while ensuring the above-described rigidity.

  If this thickness is less than 0.1 μm, it will be difficult to ensure an appropriate rigidity, which is the object of the present invention, and if it exceeds 50.0 μm, the rigidity will be too large, Furthermore, the pressure transmission function with respect to the uneven shape of the hologram layer is reduced.

In order to form the hologram layer, it is possible to directly form the hologram by performing interference exposure of the hologram on a photosensitive resin material having transparency, which corresponds to the transparent resin layer. Using replicas or their plating molds as replica molds, pressing the mold surface against the transparent resin layer made of the above-mentioned resin material, or performing molding, injection molding or extrusion mold It is also preferable to use the above as a mold for replication and to form it simultaneously with the molding (in either case, the concavo-convex shape by the direct formation of the hologram relief, or the “second” which is substantially the same as the concavo-convex shape) It becomes a concavo-convex shape obtained by replication from a “matrix” or the like).

Of course, not only the photosensitive resin material but also the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief, which is the object of the present invention, can be reproduced on the transparent resin layer described above, and predetermined heating and heating from the back of the protective layer can be performed. The resin material which can deform | transform the convex part, especially the vertex of the convex part by pressure can be used.

As the hologram, a rainbow hologram or the like can be used. However, a transmission hologram that transmits through a hologram layer for observation may be used, or a reflection hologram may be used by regarding the hologram relief surface as a reflection surface.

In the case of a reflection type hologram, the light from the illumination light source does not need to be transmitted through the hologram layer. Therefore, the transparency of the above-mentioned “transparent resin layer” is unnecessary, and the hologram is made using an “opaque resin material”. There is no problem even if the layer is formed.

In particular, when a “reflective thin film layer” made of a metal thin film such as aluminum or copper, or a compound thin film such as oxide or nitride is provided so as to follow and contact the concave and convex shape of the hologram relief. Is a reflection hologram in which the surface of this “reflective thin film layer” is regarded as a reflection surface (the shape of this reflection surface is substantially the same as the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief). The hologram layer may be formed using an “opaque resin material”.

The thickness of the “reflective thin film layer” is 10 nm to 1.0 μm, particularly 20 to 200 nm. If this thickness is less than 10 nm, the “film formability” is inferior, and if it exceeds 1.0 μm, the followability to the hologram relief and the surface shape of the “reflective thin film layer” are uneven in the hologram relief. It is far from the shape.

The substrate used in the information carrier of the present invention can be reduced in thickness, and has mechanical strength and solvent resistance and heat resistance suitable for processing and processing when manufacturing the information carrier. It is preferable to have an adhesive property and excellent adhesion to the hologram forming layer.

Since it depends on the purpose of use, it is not limited, but a film-like or sheet-like plastic is preferable.

Examples thereof include various plastic films such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycarbonate.
Although the thickness of a base material is 5.0 micrometers-3.0 mm, it is desirable to set it as 50.0 micrometers-500.0 micrometers especially.

  When the thickness is less than 5.0 μm, the base material itself is deformed when predetermined heating and pressurization is applied, and deformation of the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief is suppressed. If the thickness exceeds 3.0 mm, handling as an information carrier is hindered.

  Of course, when the hologram relief is used as a reflecting surface, the transparency of the substrate itself is not required, and therefore a metal material or a ceramic material can be used.

In addition, in consideration of environmental impact, a transparent biodegradable plastic film or sheet can also be used. As a chemical synthesis system, a lactone resin, a polybutylene succinate resin, or the like, or a low molecular weight A polyester resin synthesized from an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and a low molecular weight aliphatic diol is preferred.

As natural products, animal natural materials such as gelatin and plant natural materials such as cellulose are suitable.

And in order to improve the heat resistance of a base material, you may highly disperse | distribute metal microparticles | fine-particles in a base material.

A hologram layer is provided on the base material, and the surface of the hologram layer opposite to the surface in contact with the base material has the above-described hologram relief uneven shape, so that it follows and touches the surface. A thin film layer), a “void”, and a protective layer are provided so as to cover the “void”.

  The protective layer is provided so as to be in contact with the apex of the concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram relief.For example, the protective layer film described above is disposed on the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief so as to cover the concavo-convex shape, From the back side of the protective layer, predetermined heating and pressurization are applied to “adhere” the “vertex portion of the concavo-convex convex portion” and the “inner side surface region of the protective layer with which the vertex is in contact”. May be.

  The “adhesion” area is controlled by the heating and pressing conditions at this time.

  Further, using a protective layer film having a “two-layer structure” in which an appropriate “adhesive layer” is provided on the adhesive surface side of the base material, a predetermined heating and pressurization are applied from the back side of the protective layer. The “adhesive layer” and “the apex of the convex and concave portions” may be “adhered”.

  When the thickness of the “adhesive layer” is set to 2 to 10 times the height of the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief and the above-described predetermined heating and pressurization is applied, the “adhesive layer” softens, As a result of the structure in which the convex part is embedded in the “adhesive layer”, in addition to the shape change of the convex part, the apex of the convex part enters the “adhesive layer”, so that “void” The shape may be changed more greatly.

  Various thermoplastic resins can be used for the “transparent resin layer” or “opaque resin layer” used in the hologram layer of the present invention. Thermoplastic resins include acrylic ester resin, acrylamide resin, nitrocellulose resin, polystyrene, vinyl chloride resin, vinylidene chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyester resin, polyamide , Polyacetal, polycarbonate, polyphenylene ether, polyvinylidene fluoride, polysulfone, polyether sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polyamideimide and the like, and mixtures and copolymers thereof.

These thermoplastic resins can use 1 type (s) or 2 or more types. One or more of these resins may be partially crosslinked using various isocyanate resins, or various curing catalysts such as metal soaps may be blended, or heat or ultraviolet light may be used. You may mix | blend peroxides, such as a benzoyl peroxide for starting superposition | polymerization. Such a crosslinking component is suitable because it has an effect of fixing the uneven shape of the hologram layer in a predetermined heated and pressurized region and improving its reliability.

Further, the hologram relief of the hologram layer and the gas in the gap are usually air, but may be filled with “nitrogen gas” or the like for physical stability. In addition, the thermal expansion coefficient of the trapped gas is almost constant according to the equation of state of the gas, which is when the gas is filled with normal pressure (1 atm = 0.1 MPa) in the gap, If the filling is performed at m times the atmospheric pressure during the filling, the thermal expansion coefficient becomes m times. Therefore, in order to increase the “thermal deformation pressure” of the concavo-convex shape, the pressure at the time of filling may be 0.2 to 0.5 MPa (2 to 5 times the normal pressure; m = 2 to 5 is meant). Is preferred. If this pressure is set to exceed 5 times, distortion of the protective layer and peeling of the bonded portion between the protective layer and the hologram layer are unsuitable.

In addition, by using “high refractive index resin” as the resin for the hologram layer, the refractive index difference between the hologram relief of the hologram layer and the gas in the gap is increased, and the interface reflectance at the interface between them is increased. The hologram reproduction image by the hologram relief can be made brighter and clearer.

Here, the “high refractive index resin” means a “resin layer having a high refractive index”, and here, a resin layer having a refractive index n exceeding 1.7. The refractive index n is a value obtained by dividing the light velocity (c) in vacuum by the light velocity (v) in the medium (more precisely, the phase velocity), and unless otherwise specified, the refractive index value is sodium. This is for light having a D-line wavelength of 589.3 nm. And at the present time, earnestly, research is progressing on “higher refraction of resin materials”, and in the polymer polymer structure of relatively high refractive index, “sulfur atom” with high atomic refractive index, A method of introducing “halogen components” such as chlorine atoms and fluorine atoms and “aromatic ring groups” having a high refractive index structure at the molecular level, ultrafine particles of high refractive index metal oxides such as TiOx and ZrOx ( The average particle size: 0.0003 μm to 0.03 μm) is highly dispersed in the resin material, and further, a method of incorporating a predetermined metal salt into the molecular structure of the polymer material, and the like, the refractive index n = We have found more than 1.9 materials. In this case, “0.9” can be secured as the refractive index difference from the refractive index n of air = 1.0, and a large “interface reflection” can be realized. Such a refractive index difference is preferably set to 0.5 to 1.0 in order to achieve the above-described object.

A diffraction grating forming layer having a diffraction grating formed into a pattern by a similar method can also be used as an optical diffraction structure, that is, a hologram relief of a hologram layer.

The pitch (period) of the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief mainly depends on the reproduction angle of the hologram reproduction image, but is usually 0.1 to 5.0 μm, and the depth of the concavo-convex is the reproduction of the hologram generation image. Although it is an element that greatly affects the strength, it is 0.01 to 5.0 μm, preferably 0.05 μm to 2.0 μm, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.5 μm.

  The method of replicating the hologram relief shape is to use an original plate on which diffraction gratings and interference fringes are recorded in a concavo-convex shape as a press mold (referred to as a stamper), on the hologram layer or on a reflective thin film layer. The concavo-convex pattern of the original plate can be duplicated by stacking the original plate and heat-pressing both of them with an appropriate means such as a heating roll. The hologram relief pattern to be formed may be single or plural.

  The thickness of the hologram layer needs to be 2 to 10 times the unevenness depth in order to ensure its deformation performance, and is 0.02 to 50 μm, preferably 0.1 to 20 μm, more preferably Is 0.2 to 5, 0 μm.

  From the protective layer side of the information carrier of the present invention thus formed, “predetermined heating and pressurization” is applied to the hologram layer to “deform” the uneven shape of the hologram relief. Even after releasing the “pressurizing load” (meaning to return to normal temperature and normal pressure), the “deformation” remains to form “image information” on the hologram layer.

  The “heating and pressurization” in this case, that is, the heating conditions and pressurizing conditions are as follows.

  As heating conditions, heating at 60 to 300 ° C. is continued for 0.1 to 300 seconds. Preferably, heating at 100 to 200 ° C. is applied for 0.1 to 2.0 seconds.

  As a pressurizing condition, a load of 0.01 to 100 MPa, preferably a load of 0.1 to 10 MPa is used.

As means for applying such predetermined heating and pressurization,
Hot plate press using a metal plate such as “Stainless steel plate with mirror finish”, “Metal roll on stainless steel surface with mirror finish”, Hot roll press using silicon resin roll, etc. Thermal head (means print head of thermal printer) that can load information (means image information that changes for each information carrier, or image information that changes for each unit, such as for each dot or for each character) .) Can be used.

  When a “plate” or “roll” is used, the shape of the “heating and pressurizing” surface of the “plate” or “roll” is “image information” itself, or the “plate” Further, it is assumed that “projections” in the form of “image information” are further provided on the surface of the “roll”.

  Of course, with the "glass" plate "" at a predetermined pressure and with a load applied to the protective layer, the "laser light" that passes through the "glass" plate "" is used for each unit area. To form "variable information".

  By such heating and pressurizing means, the “heat” and “pressure” are applied to the concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram relief that is in contact with the protective layer through the protective layer, and through the protective layer. The “pressure” is applied to the “void” sandwiched between the concave and convex shapes of the protective layer and the hologram relief.

  At this time, due to the heat insulation of the “gas” filled in the “void”, the “heat” is not transmitted through the “void”, and the “pressure” to the “void” is the “Pascal principle”. ”To“ all the interfaces between the “void” and the “protective layer” and between the “void” and the “hologram layer” (meaning all the interface between the gap and the protective layer and the gap and the hologram layer)). Since a “uniform pressure” is applied, it works as a force for uniformly expanding the concave and convex shape of the hologram relief, and the concave shape is slightly enlarged. In other words, one of the concave shapes is regarded as “one three-dimensional curved surface”, and this three-dimensional curved surface is “slightly (that is, 1/10 to 1/100 of the concave depth). Degree.) ”Means moving in the spreading direction.

  Therefore, when the information carrier of the present invention is subjected to predetermined heating and pressurization, the deformation in the depth direction of the protrusion (deformation to be compressed) is large, and the protrusion swells. The movement and the movement of the concave portion are canceled out, and the height of the convex portion is deformed to be preferentially lowered.

  In this way, the height of the concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram relief is prioritized, and “substantially uniform” as compared with each convex portion, “deformation” is the diffraction phenomenon of the entire hologram relief (particularly, The diffraction direction and its sharpness) are not affected greatly, but directly act only on the diffraction intensity and greatly reduce the diffraction intensity. Since “hologram reproduction image from deformed uneven shape” hardly appears and “hologram reproduction image from deformed uneven shape” cannot be visually recognized, an area with low diffraction intensity is It can be visually recognized as image information included in a “hologram reproduction image from a concavo-convex shape that does not generate a defect”.

  In particular, by making the height of the convex portion 9/10 to 6/10 as compared with that before performing predetermined pressurization and heating, the formed individual image information can be more stably, And it can be made clearer.

  If the height of the convex portion is less than 9/10 as compared with that before performing the predetermined pressurization and heating, the deformation cannot be clearly seen and exceeds 6/10. Then, the preferential deformation of the convex part is broken, and a large deformation occurs in the concave part shape, which is not a phenomenon specialized for observing the hologram reproduction image from the imaging direction. The distinction from the “act” and even the distinction from “simply destroying the protective layer surface” may be difficult or impossible to distinguish by visual observation.

The image information additionally formed on the information carrier of the present invention by a predetermined image information forming method includes the manufacturer, manufacturer, publisher, author, game machine operating company, luxury brand, certificate issuer, card security. Names of companies, issuing and issuing tickets, delivery / delivery companies, sales companies, and other related organizations, logos, seals, and other characters, figures, symbols, etc. that have distinctiveness from other companies, that is, brand logos It includes characters and symbols that indicate the display and authenticity, and its logo, characters, figures, symbols, etc. enhance (add proof) the reliability of the added value and quality assurance of the product, Alternatively, it can be a character / symbol determined for each information carrier, or information unique to a person who owns the information carrier.

  The information carrier of the present invention is prepared using the materials and methods described above, and desired image information is applied to the information carrier from the protective layer side of the information carrier using the heating and pressing methods described above. When formed, individual and clear image information can be easily added, and when the information carrier is observed under illumination light such as a general indoor fluorescent lamp, it passes through a protective layer. When a clear hologram reproduction image by hologram relief of the hologram layer could be visually confirmed, the image information could also be confirmed stably and reliably through the protective layer.

The information carrier of the present invention and the image information forming method on the information carrier can easily add individual and clear image information to the hologram layer of the information carrier by a simple method. In addition, it is possible to suppress damage to the hologram layer at that time.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the form of an information carrier. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the method of adding the image information to an information carrier. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the image information added to the information carrier.

The information carrier of the present invention and the image information forming method thereof will be described in detail below.

  The present embodiment is an information carrier in which a hologram layer is formed on at least one surface of a substrate, and a protective layer is formed in contact with the hologram layer, and the surface of the hologram layer in contact with the protective layer has an uneven shape. Is formed, and an air gap exists between the concave-convex concave portion and the protective layer.

  The optical characteristics of the hologram relief of the information carrier of the present embodiment are characterized by being changed by pressurization and heating.

  Image information formation on the information carrier of this embodiment is performed by pressurization and heating.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the information carrier 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a method for adding image information to the information carrier. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the information carrier 1, a hologram layer 3 is formed on at least one surface of a substrate 2, and a protective layer 4 is formed in contact with the hologram layer 3. Furthermore, a holographic relief 5 having a concavo-convex shape is formed on the surface of the hologram layer 3 in contact with the protective layer 4, and a gap 6 exists between the concave portion of the hologram relief 5 and the protective layer 4. The void 6 is filled with an atmosphere when a protective layer is formed on the hologram layer 3. Generally, it is filled with a gaseous substance such as air. In the information carrier 1 of this embodiment, a reflective thin film layer or a high refractive index resin layer may be further formed between the substrate 2 and the hologram layer 3. (Not shown)

  FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the information carrier 1 of the present embodiment before adding image information. 3B and 3C are schematic cross-sectional views showing an example of the information carrier 1 of the present embodiment to which image information is added. Any image information may be added. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, image information for preventing reuse of the information carrier of the present embodiment, or as shown in FIG. 3C, for example. A serial number may be added.

  Further, the hologram relief of the information carrier of the present embodiment is a simple pattern repetition in FIG. 3, but an image having a design property may be formed.

<Adding image information>
The addition of image information to the information carrier of this embodiment is performed by changing the optical characteristics of the hologram relief by pressurization and heating. In this embodiment, the optical characteristics are changed by changing the shape of the hologram relief.

The shape of the hologram relief changes in the following process.
1. External heating and heating are performed on the image information adding unit.
2. By the heating from the outside, the concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram layer on which the hologram relief is formed via the protective layer is heated. The heating condition is appropriately set so that the temperature of the convex and concave portions of the hologram relief is equal to or higher than the softening temperature of the thermoplastic resin forming the hologram layer.
3. Due to external pressure, pressure is applied to the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief through the protective layer and the gap.
4). When the concavo-convex shape of the heated and pressurized hologram relief is deformed, the optical characteristics of the hologram relief are changed, and image information is added.

  This addition of image information includes the fact that pressure is applied through a gap, so that the pressure is uniformly applied to the concave and convex portions of the hologram relief in the additional area of the image information, and uniform deformation occurs. Is generated, and image information without unevenness can be added.

  Hereinafter, the information carrier of this embodiment will be described for each configuration.

<Base material>
The base material 2 used in this embodiment is not limited to any material as long as the hologram layer 3 can be formed on the base material 2. If the hologram formed on the base material 2 is a reflection hologram, the transparency of the base material 2 is also unnecessary. If the hologram formed on the substrate 2 is a transparent hologram, the substrate 2 is made of a material that transmits light. (See FIGS. 1 and 2)

  In addition, since the information carrier 1 of this embodiment is generally used by being attached to another medium, the base material 2 may be formed of a material having adhesiveness with the surface of the other medium. In addition, an adhesive layer may be formed on the surface of the substrate 2 on which the hologram layer 3 is not formed. The adhesive layer may be formed of an adhesive or an adhesive material, or may be formed of a heat seal material. (Not shown)

  The substrate 2 is made of a plastic material, a ceramic material, or a metal material, but is not limited thereto.

Examples include various plastic films such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, polyvinyl alcohol, polysulfone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyarylate, triacetyl cellulose (TAC), diacetyl cellulose, polyethylene / vinyl alcohol, and the like. it can.

  Although the thickness of the base material 2 is 5.0 micrometers-3.0 mm, it is desirable to set it as 50.0 micrometers-500.0 micrometers especially.

  Of course, when the hologram relief 5 is used as a reflection surface, the transparency of the substrate 2 itself is not required, and therefore a metal material or a ceramic material can be used.

In consideration of environmental impact, a transparent biodegradable plastic film or sheet can also be used. As a chemical synthesis system, lactone resins: ε-caprolactone, 4-methylcaprolactone, 3, 5, 5 -Trimethylcaprolactone, 3,3,5-trimethylcaprolactone, β-propiolactone, γ-butyrolactone, δ-valerolactone, a homopolymer of enanthlactone or a copolymer of two or more of these monomers, a mixture thereof, polycaprolactone Or a polybutylene succinate resin: polybutylene succinate adipate, a mixture of polybutylene succinate and polycaprolactone, a mixture of polybutylene succinate and polybutylene succinate adipate, polybutylene succinate adipate And polylactic acid, or polylactic acid, a mixture of polylactic acid and D-lactic acid, or a polyester resin synthesized from a low molecular weight aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and a low molecular weight aliphatic diol, such as succinic acid and butanediol, Addition of aliphatic isocyanate to a mixture of modified polyvinyl alcohol, aliphatic polyester resin and starch, low molecular weight aliphatic polyester, such as combinations with ethylene glycol, oxalic acid and neopentyl glycol, butanediol, ethylene glycol A polymerized one is preferred.

In addition, natural products such as animal natural materials such as gelatin, plant natural materials such as cellulose, etc .: starch fatty acid ester, starch chitonan, cellulose, etc., as microbial production systems such as polyhydroxybutyrate and polyesters: carbon source P based on 3-hydroxypropionic acid, 4-hydroxybutyric acid, γ-butyrolactone (3HB-CO-4HB), propionic acid as carbon source, P based on valeric acid (3HB-CO-3HV), etc. Is preferred.

<Hologram layer>
The hologram layer 3 of this embodiment is formed of a thermoplastic resin. Since the hologram layer 3 is formed of a thermoplastic resin, the hologram relief 5 can be easily formed, and image information can be easily formed by pressurization and heating through the protective layer 4. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2.)

Examples of the thermoplastic resin used in the hologram layer 3 of this embodiment include acrylic ester resin, acrylamide resin, nitrocellulose resin, polystyrene, vinyl chloride resin, vinylidene chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, and styrene resin. Acrylic resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyester resin, polyamide, polyacetal, polycarbonate, polyphenylene ether, polyvinylidene fluoride, polysulfone, polyether sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polyamideimide, etc., and mixtures and copolymers thereof. Can be mentioned.

  The softening point or heat distortion temperature (ASTM D648) of these thermoplastic resins is 30 to 200 ° C., but in order to easily cause the optical change (particularly, uneven shape change) of the present invention, heat deformation is caused. It is also possible to mix resins having a difference of 50 to 80 ° C. at a ratio of (resin A having a low heat deformation temperature / resin B having a low heat deformation temperature) at 1/10 to 4/10. This facilitates the formation of image information and the storage stability of image information, which is preferable.

<Hologram relief>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hologram relief 5 is formed on the surface of the information carrier 1 of the present embodiment that is in contact with the protective layer 4 of the hologram layer 3. The concave portion of the hologram relief 5 becomes a gap 6 after the protective layer 4 is formed. Generally, the width of the concave portion of the hologram relief 5 is approximately 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm and the depth is 0.01 μm to 5.0 μm, although it varies depending on the image. More preferably, the width is 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm, and the depth is 0.05 to 2.0 μm. More preferably, it is 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm.

<Protective layer>
The protective layer 4 of the information carrier 1 of the present embodiment uses the hologram relief 5 formed on the hologram layer 3 as an external factor (in particular, adhesion of “finger oil etc.” having a refractive index close to the hologram layer to the hologram relief surface) ) To prevent deterioration of the hologram layer 3 (meaning a change in “optical interface shape”). (See Figure 1 and Figure 2.)

The protective layer 4 may be a single layer made of a film, and a hard coat layer, a slippery layer, an antireflection layer, an antistatic layer, or an antifouling layer on the surface of the film that is not in contact with the hologram layer 3 A multilayer in which one or more layers are laminated may be used. (Not shown)

  In addition, since image information is formed on the information carrier 1 of the present embodiment by pressurization and heating, the protective layer 4 is not only transparent and can be bonded to the hologram layer 3 but also a hologram. It is preferable that the heat conductivity is high so that heat can be easily transmitted to the convex and concave portions of the layer 3, and it has a predetermined rigidity so that pressure can be appropriately transmitted to the hologram layer 3. preferable.

  For this reason, the protective layer 4 is made of a transparent thermoplastic resin or a film or sheet made of a thermosetting resin.

As thermoplastic resins, vinyl chloride resin, vinylidene chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, polyethylene (rigidity 500 MPa), polypropylene, polystyrene, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyester resin, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide (Rigidity 400 MPa), polyacetal, polycarbonate (rigidity 700 MPa), polyphenylene ether, polyvinylidene fluoride, polysulfone, polyether sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polyamideimide, etc., and mixtures and copolymers thereof, etc. As the functional resin, epoxy resin (rigidity 800 MPa), melamine resin (rigidity 1.3 GPa), silicon resin, phenol resin, urethane resin, Saturated polyester resins, urea resins (modulus 1.7 GPa), etc., and can be used a mixture thereof or a copolymer.

  In order to ensure thermal conductivity, the thickness of the protective layer 4 is preferably 1.0 μm to 50.0 μm. In particular, the thickness is set to 3.0 to 20.0 μm. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2.)

Further, in order to further improve the thermal conductivity, a resin in which metal fine particles are dispersed in the above-described resin may be used. The material of the metal fine particles may be a metal and preferably has high thermal conductivity. For example, metal materials such as copper and aluminum are preferable. The particle system of the metal fine particles is preferably 1 nm to 1 μm. This is because it is very difficult to form fine particles of less than 1 nm, and translucency is reduced with fine particles of more than 1 μm. (Not shown)

<Gap>
In this embodiment, a gap 6 is formed between the concave portion of the hologram relief 5 formed in the hologram layer 3 and the protective layer 4. The space 6 is filled with a gas in the atmosphere when the protective layer 4 is formed, and is generally filled with air. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2.)

When the pressure of the hologram layer 3 is applied by the gas filled in the gap 6 to form image information, the pressure applied to the applied portion is uniformly dispersed. Since the pressure is uniformly distributed in this way, the hologram relief 5 can be uniformly deformed without unevenness, and uniform image information can be formed without unevenness.

<Image information formation>
Desired image information is added to the information carrier 1 of the present invention formed by the above method using heating and pressing means such as the image information forming head 7 shown in FIG.

FIG. 2A is a diagram in which the image information forming head 7 is about to be brought into contact with the information carrier 1 of the present invention. FIG. The figure which shows that the protective layer 4, the space | gap 6, the hologram relief 5, and the hologram layer 3 of the information carrier 1 have received the deformation | transformation (that is, the optical characteristic of the hologram relief 5 of the hologram layer 3 has changed) ). In FIG. 2B, the deformation state of the hologram relief 5 is greatly simplified (modeled) for the sake of explanation.

  The heating condition is (60 to 300 ° C. warming) × (0.1 to 300 seconds continued), preferably (100 to 200 ° C. heating) with respect to the convex and concave portions of the hologram relief 5 of the hologram layer 3. (Warm) × (Continuous for 0.1 to 2.0 seconds) (The surface of the protective layer 4 in contact with the hologram layer 3 is also subjected to substantially the same heating).

  As a pressurizing condition, a pressure of 0.01 to 100 MPa, preferably 0.1 to 10 MPa is applied to the concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram relief 5 of the hologram relief through the protective layer 4 by the image information forming head 7. (The pressure applied to the convex portion is larger by the area ratio than the pressure applied to the protective layer 4).

As means for applying such predetermined heating and pressurization,
Hot plate press using a metal plate such as “Stainless steel plate with mirror finish”, “Metal roll on stainless steel surface with mirror finish”, Hot roll press using silicon resin roll, etc. Thermal head (means print head of thermal printer) that can load information (means image information that changes for each information carrier, or image information that changes for each unit, such as for each dot or for each character) .) Can be used. (FIG. 2 shows, as a simple example, an example of a “bar-shaped hot plate press” in the form of image information. This “bar-shaped hot plate” is the image information forming head 7.)

  In the case of using “plate” or “roll”, the shape of the “plate” or “roll” to be “heated and pressed” is “image information” itself (the image information forming head 7 has This is an example.) Alternatively, it is assumed that “projections” in the form of “image information” are further provided on the surface of the “plate” or “roll”.

  FIG. 3A is a view before the information carrier 1 is heated and pressurized by the image information forming head 7, and FIG. 3B is an image information forming head 7 having a shape of “×”. FIG. 3 (c) shows an image information forming head 7 in which the heating and pressurizing position of the rod-shaped hot plate is shifted and heated and pressed twice to obtain “XX” as image information. Using the thermal head capable of printing individual information, printing of the information carrier 1 is started from the front left side, and the right side of the information carrier 1 is adjusted by adjusting the moving speed of the thermal head and the heating timing of the head heating element. FIG. 5 is a diagram in which “1 2 3 4” is formed as image information.

  Of course, with the "glass" plate "" at a predetermined pressure and with a load applied to the protective layer, the "laser light" that passes through the "glass" plate "" is used for each unit area. It may be heated to form “variable information” that becomes “individual information”.

  By such heating and pressurizing means, the “heat” and “pressure” are applied to the concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram relief 5 in contact with the protective layer 4 through the protective layer 4, and Through the protective layer 4, the “pressure” is applied to the “air gap 6” sandwiched between the concave and convex shapes of the protective layer 4 and the hologram relief 5.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example demonstrate this invention further in detail, it is not limited to this. In addition, except a solvent, each composition of each layer is a mass part of solid content conversion.

Example 1
As the base material 2, milk white polyethylene terephthalate having a thickness of 250 μm is used, and on one surface thereof, a thermoplastic resin made of vinyl chloride resin (thermal deformation temperature 30 ° C.) / Acrylic resin (thermal deformation temperature 100 ° C.) = 3/10. Was diluted with a solvent composed of MEK / toluene = 1/1, and a hologram layer 3 having a thickness of 5.0 μm after drying was formed using a gravure coater. (See Figure 1)

  Separately from this, we prepared Ni original plate with hologram design (diffraction efficiency 20%) with high design taken using laser optical system (corresponding to "second master block" using photoresist method) And the hologram relief surface of the Ni original plate is aligned with the surface of the hologram layer 3 opposite to the surface in contact with the base material 2, and a rotary relief hologram forming apparatus (original cylinder diameter 1. A hologram relief 5 was formed on the surface of the hologram layer 3 at 0 m, a master surface temperature of 100 ° C., a pressure cylinder diameter of 0.3 m, water-cooled, a pressure of 2 ton / m, and a replication speed of 10 m / min. (See Figure 1)

  The concavo-convex convex portion of the hologram relief 5 of the hologram layer 3 has a planar shape, and a melamine resin film (rigidity 1.3 GPa) having a thickness of 15 μm is formed as a protective layer 4 so as to cover the convex portion. The two surfaces of the stainless steel plate having a mirror finished surface are sandwiched across the entire surface of the laminate of “base material 2, hologram layer 3, void 6 and protective layer 4”, heated at 100 ° C. and pressure of 0.1 GPa The information carrier 1 of Example 1 of the present invention was obtained by pasting and cutting into a size of 30 mm length × 100 mm width. (See FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 (a).)

Next, at a predetermined position of the information carrier 1,
As the image information forming head 7, a bar-shaped hot plate having a shape of “×”. (“×” is 20 mm long, 20 mm wide, and 3 mm line width. Only the image line portion of “×” is predetermined. ) "Is shifted and the heating and pressurizing positions are shifted, heating at 150 ° C. and pressurizing at 3.0 GPa are performed twice, and“ XX ”is formed as image information. did. (See FIG. 3B. FIG. 3B is a diagram in which predetermined image information “XX” is formed on the information carrier 1 at a substantially central position.)

  When the information carrier 1 on which the predetermined image information “XX” is formed is observed under illumination of an indoor fluorescent lamp, the information carrier 1 depends on a region where the image information “XX” of the hologram relief 5 of the hologram layer 3 is not formed. At the same time that the hologram reproduction image is clearly visible, the image information “XX” can be visually recognized in the hologram reproduction image, and it is very difficult to forge such an information carrier 1. It was broken.

(Comparative example)
(Comparative example 1) In Example 1, the hologram relief 5 of the hologram layer 3 was filled, and a protective layer ink diluted with a solvent of MEK / toluene = 1/1 was coated with a gravure coater. A sheet of Comparative Example 1 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a protective layer without voids was provided with a thickness of 15 μm.

  When this sheet was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, there was no gap between the hologram layer 3 and the protective layer 4, and the hologram relief 5 was formed as an interface between the two layers. The interface reflection from the light source was very small (because the difference in refractive index between the hologram layer 3 and the protective layer 4 was very small), and under a room fluorescent lamp, the hologram reconstructed image could be visually recognized.

Further, when the sheet of this comparative example was heated and pressed in the same manner as in Example 1, the shape of the hologram relief 5 did not change at all, and additional image information could not be formed. It was.
Therefore, it was considered that the sheet of Comparative Example 1 was remarkably inferior in design properties and anti-counterfeiting properties.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information carrier 2 Base material 3 Hologram layer 4 Protective layer 5 Hologram relief 6 Gap 7 Image information formation head

Claims (7)

A hologram layer is formed on at least one surface of the substrate, and a protective layer is formed in contact with the hologram layer,
A hologram relief having a concavo-convex shape is formed on a surface of the hologram layer in contact with the protective layer, and a gap exists between the concave portion of the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief and the protective layer. An information carrier.   The information carrier according to claim 1, wherein an apex of a convex portion of the concavo-convex shape of the hologram relief is in contact with the protective layer.   The information carrier according to claim 1, wherein the vertices of the convex portions of the hologram relief are arranged in a planar shape.   4. The information according to claim 1, wherein the optical characteristics of the hologram relief are changed by pressurization and heating from a side of the protective layer opposite to the side in contact with the hologram layer. 5. Carrier.   5. The unevenness shape of the hologram relief causes the change by the pressurization and the heating, and a hologram reproduction image from the unevenness shape having the change cannot be visually recognized. The information carrier according to any one of the above. A protective layer is provided in contact with the hologram layer and a surface of the hologram layer on which the concave / convex shape of the hologram relief is formed, and there is a gap between the concave / convex concave portion of the hologram relief and the protective layer. Item 6. The method for forming image information on the information carrier according to any one of Items 1 to 5,
An image information forming method, wherein image information is formed on a part of the hologram relief by applying pressure and heating through the protective layer. Due to the pressurization and the heating, the height of the convex part of the concavo-convex shape of a part of the hologram relief becomes 9/10 to 6/10 as compared to before the pressurization and the heating. The image information forming method according to claim 6.

Images