JPH07333642A - Information recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an information recorder capable of improving information recording sensitivity and information recording density and stabilizing information recording. CONSTITUTION:This recorder is constituted of an optical sensor 7 in which a first transparent substrate 1, a first transparent electrode 2 and a light conductive layer 3 are laminated and which is semiconductive and has an optical induced current amplification action, an information recording medium 8 in which a polymer dispersed liq. crystal 6, a second transparent electrode 5 and a second substrate are laminated, a voltage impression means for impressing a voltage to the first transparent electrode 2 and the second transparent electrode 5, an image formation device for forming a subject on the optical sensor 7 and a temp. holding means for holding the information recording medium at a prescribed temp.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus capable of recording optical information in high resolution in the form of visible information or electrostatic information. The information recording apparatus of the present invention comprises an optical sensor, an information recording medium, peripheral devices, etc., and the photoconductive layer of the optical sensor has a photo-induced current amplifying action by which the information recording performance on the information recording medium is remarkably amplified. It has high sensitivity. The present invention particularly relates to an information recording device that stabilizes information recording on the information recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical sensor consisting of a photoconductive layer having an electrode provided on the front surface and an information recording medium consisting of a charge holding layer having an electrode provided on the rear surface of the photosensor are arranged on the optical axis. Then, exposure is performed while applying voltage between both conductive layers, electrostatic charge is recorded on the charge holding layer according to the incident optical image, and the electrostatic charge is reproduced by toner development or potential reading. For example, it is described in JP-A-1-290366 and JP-A-1-289975.
Further, the charge retention layer in the above method is a thermoplastic resin layer, electrostatic charges are recorded on the surface of the thermoplastic resin layer and then heated to form a frost image on the surface of the thermoplastic resin layer, thereby recording the electrostatic charge. A method for visualizing the image is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-192288.

Further, the present applicants have used the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal layer as the information recording layer in the above-mentioned information recording medium, and like the above, it is exposed when a voltage is applied, and the liquid crystal layer is aligned by an electric field formed by an optical sensor. The information recording / reproducing method is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-3
394, Japanese Patent Application No. 4-24722, Japanese Patent Application No. 5-266
Filed as No. 646. This information recording / reproducing method can visualize recorded information without using a polarizing plate.

Further, an information recording method or apparatus for stabilizing the information recording is disclosed in JP-A-4-104223 and JP-A-4-104223.
─ 211221 gazette. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a conventional information recording method or apparatus in which information recording is stabilized. In FIG. 15, 101 is a photoconductor layer, 102 is a light modulation material layer, 103 and 104 are two electrode layers, 105 is a subject, 106 is a lens, 107 is a temperature detecting means, 10
8 is an amplifier, 109 is a Schmitt circuit, 110 is a coil, 111 is a fan switch, 112 is a fan, 113
Is a heater switch, 114 is a heater, 115 is a reference light source, 116 is a detector, and 117 is a variable voltage source.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. The output signal of the temperature detecting means 107 is amplified by the amplifier 108 and supplied to the Schmitt circuit 109. The Schmitt circuit 109 has no output below a predetermined temperature, the coil 110 is not excited, the fan switch 11 is opened and the fan does not operate, and the heater switch 113 is closed and the heater 114 is opened.
Thereby, the light modulation material layer 102 is heated. In addition, the Schmitt circuit 109 has an output above a predetermined temperature, and the coil 11
0 is excited, the heater switch 113 is opened and the heater 114 is not heated, the fan switch 11 is closed and the fan is operated to cool the light modulation material layer 102. Therefore, the temperature of the light modulation material layer 102 can be kept constant by controlling the operation of the heater 114 and the fan 112, and it is possible to prevent fog and the like.

When reference light is applied to the photoconductor layer 101 from the reference light source 115, the light modulation material layer 102 reacts to cause a state change. This state change is detected by the detector 1 arranged on the side opposite to the reference light source 115 with respect to the light modulation material layer 102.
16 to detect the light modulation material layer 1 during the recording period.
02 reaction can be monitored in real time. By controlling the voltage applied to the variable voltage source 117 at the time of recording so that this detection signal has a predetermined level, it is possible to form an image at a constant operating point. As described above, according to this information recording method or apparatus, the temperature of the information recording medium and the light transmittance are detected to control the temperature and the applied voltage to form a stable image.

[0007]

However, in such a conventional information recording apparatus, higher sensitivity and higher resolution are required, and at the same time, stabilizing the information recording has become an important issue. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information recording apparatus used for forming information on an information recording medium, which is capable of improving information recording sensitivity and information recording density and stabilizing information recording. is there.

[0008]

The above objects can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, the first invention, which is the first invention, is laminated with a transparent first substrate, a first transparent electrode, and a photoconductive layer,
An optical sensor which is semi-conductive and exhibits a photo-induced current amplification effect, an information recording medium formed by laminating a polymer dispersed liquid crystal and a second transparent electrode, the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode. An information recording apparatus including voltage applying means for applying a voltage to a transparent electrode, image forming means for forming a subject image on the optical sensor, and temperature holding means for holding the information recording medium at a predetermined temperature. . A second invention, which is a transparent first substrate, a first transparent electrode, and a photoconductive layer, and is semiconductive,
An optical sensor having a photo-induced current amplification effect, an information recording medium formed by laminating a polymer dispersed liquid crystal and a second transparent electrode,
A voltage applying unit that applies a voltage to the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode, an image forming unit that forms a subject image on the optical sensor, and a state change of the information recording medium are detected and obtained. An information recording device comprising: a voltage control unit that controls the voltage applied by the voltage applying unit based on the signal.

[0009]

According to the information recording apparatus of the first invention, the optical sensor is formed by laminating the transparent first substrate, the first transparent electrode, and the photoconductive layer, and is semiconductive and has a photoinduced current amplification function. Have. The information recording medium is formed by stacking a polymer dispersed liquid crystal and a second transparent electrode. Therefore, when a voltage is applied to the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode by the voltage applying unit and a subject image is formed on the optical sensor by the image forming unit, the subject image is formed by the optical sensor. It is converted into an induced current and recorded as a light scattering image on the information recording medium. This information record has high sensitivity and high resolution. Further, the temperature holding means holds the information recording medium at a predetermined temperature, and the information recording is stabilized. According to the information recording apparatus of the second invention, the photosensor is formed by laminating the transparent first substrate, the first transparent electrode, and the photoconductive layer, is semiconductive, and has a photoinduced current amplification effect. The information recording medium is formed by stacking a polymer dispersed liquid crystal and a second transparent electrode. Therefore,
When a voltage is applied to the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode by the voltage applying unit and a subject image is formed on the optical sensor by the image forming unit, the subject image is a photo-induced current by the optical sensor. And is recorded on the information recording medium as a light scattering image. This information record has high sensitivity and high resolution. Further, the voltage control means controls the applied voltage based on the signal obtained by detecting the state change of the information recording medium, and the information recording is stabilized.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The information recording apparatus of the present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing mainly the configuration of an image pickup system, an optical sensor information recording medium, etc. of the information recording apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a first substrate, 2
Is a first transparent electrode provided on the first substrate 1, 3 is a photoconductive layer having a photoinduced current amplifying action provided on the first transparent electrode 2, 4 is a second substrate, and 5 is A second transparent electrode provided on the second substrate 4 and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal 6 provided on the second transparent electrode 5. An optical sensor 7 is composed of a first substrate 1, a first transparent electrode 2, and a photoconductive layer 3 having a photoinduced current amplifying effect (described later). An information recording medium 8 is composed of a second substrate 4, a second transparent electrode 5, and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal 6. Further, 9 is an object, 10 is a lens which is an image forming means for forming an image of the object on the optical sensor 7, 11 is a reference light source used for detecting a state change of the information recording medium 8, and 12 is the information recording medium 8. It is a heater used to keep the temperature constant.

The operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The subject 9 is imaged on the photoconductive layer 3 by the lens 10. The photoconductive layer 3 has photoconductivity, and the electroconductivity is exhibited according to the light amount of each part of the formed image. That is, the light image is converted into a conductive image. First transparent electrode 2 and second
A voltage is applied between the transparent electrodes, and when a voltage is applied in the above state, a current flows according to the conductivity of the photoconductive layer. This is called a photoinduced current, and one of the features is that the photoconductive layer of the present invention has a remarkable effect of amplifying the photoinduced current. The photo-induced current causes the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal to be oriented and changes from a light scatterer to a light transmitter. When a predetermined voltage is applied for a predetermined time and then the application of the voltage is stopped, the alignment state is maintained by the memory function of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6.
That is, the formed image is recorded as a difference in the light scattering state of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal. The heater 12 keeps the temperature of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal at a predetermined temperature and stabilizes the operating point of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal whose physical properties change significantly with temperature changes. The reference light is emitted to the photoconductive layer 3 in order to detect the state in which the dispersed liquid crystal is oriented and changes from the light scatterer to the light transmitter. The purpose of both is to obtain good information records.

FIG. 2 is a diagram mainly showing the construction of the temperature holding means, voltage control means, etc. of the information recording apparatus of the present invention. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals (the same reference numerals are used for the same portions in the drawings related to the present invention). In FIG. 2, 13 is a temperature sensor, 14 is a temperature sensor amplifier, 15 is a heater power supply control device, and 12 is a heater, and these constitute a temperature holding means 19. 11 is a reference light source, 16 is a photodiode,
Reference numeral 17 is a photodiode amplifier, and 18 is an electrode voltage control device, which constitutes a voltage control means 20.

The operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In the temperature holding means 19, the temperature sensor 13 is a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple, a thermistor, and a platinum resistance temperature detector. The temperature sensor 13 is attached to the surface of the first substrate or the surface of the second substrate. As shown in FIG.
It can be attached to more than one place. By controlling based on the output signals of the temperature sensors 13 at a plurality of locations, it is possible to accurately maintain the predetermined temperature. That is, the detected temperature T2 of the temperature sensor 13 attached to the surface of the second substrate which is the heater 12 side, and the detected temperature T1 (T1 of the temperature sensor 13 attached to the surface of the first substrate which is the heat dissipation surface). The temperature T0 of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal should be between <T2). Therefore, considering the thermal conductivity of each layer of the optical sensor 7 and the information recording medium 8, the value of the temperature T0 of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal can be calculated. For example, it can be calculated by the following formula 1.

## EQU1 ## T0 = T1 + k (T2-T1) where T0; temperature of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal T1; detected temperature of surface (heating surface) of first substrate T2; surface of second substrate (heat dissipation surface) Detected temperature k; constant of 0 ≦ k ≦ 1 By doing so, even when the temperature changes, the change is compensated and the temperature holding accuracy is improved.

The output signal of the temperature sensor 13 is linearized, zero-adjusted and span-adjusted in the temperature sensor amplifier and input to the heater power supply controller 15. In the heater power supply controller 15, a predetermined set temperature and temperature sensor 1
Comparing the detected temperatures of 3 (T0, T1 or T2),
The electric power supplied to the heater 12 is adjusted so that the temperature of both is constant. The adjustment of the supplied power is superior to the method of the ON / OFF control by the stepless method of adjusting the supplied power such as proportional control that gives an adjustment amount proportional to the temperature difference detected by the temperature sensor 13 and the predetermined set temperature. There is. Heater 12
A sheet heating element having a heating resistor such as a nichrome wire, a transparent heating element coating such as an ITO coating, a carbon coating, or a metal foil pattern can be used. Also heater 1
As the heating element 2, it is possible to use one in which a heating resistor and a plate having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper are integrated. Such a plate has the effect of stabilizing the temperature distribution depending on the location, stabilizing the temperature by an appropriate heat storage action, and increasing the cooling rate by attaching a heat radiation fin.

In the voltage control means, the reference light source 1
Reference numeral 1 is a light source such as an incandescent lamp and an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The brightness of the reference light source is set to represent the brightness of the subject. Preferably, the brightness of the subject is automatically measured and the brightness of the reference light source 11 is automatically set. The light emitted from the reference light source 11 is configured to pass through the information recording medium 8, and the light passing through the polymer dispersed liquid crystal 6 is converted into an electric signal by the photodiode 16. This electric signal represents the state of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6 that changes from light dispersion to light transmission. When the heater 12 does not transmit light,
As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 12 is provided with an opening so that light can pass therethrough. This is not necessary when the heater is a transparent heating element coating such as an ITO coating. The electric signal obtained by the photodiode 16 is linearized, zero-adjusted and span-adjusted in the photodiode amplifier 17, and input to the electrode voltage controller 18. In the electrode voltage control device 18, a predetermined set value is compared with the output signal of the photodiode amplifier 17, and the voltage application time or the applied voltage is controlled so that the output signal has the predetermined output value. Then, the application of the voltage is stopped when the output signal reaches a predetermined output value. In this way, good recording can be performed on the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6. The temperature holding means 19 and the voltage control means 20 can be used independently. Also, both can be used at the same time.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification of the voltage control means 20 in FIG. In FIG. 3, 21 is a half mirror, which is different from FIG.
That is, in FIG. 3, the reference light source 11 is on the second substrate side, and the optical path of the reference light is bent at a right angle by the half mirror 21 so that the photoconductive layer 3 and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal 11 are formed.
A reference light is applied to. The reference light reflects and returns, goes straight through the half mirror 21 and passes through the photodiode 16
Is detected by. According to the configuration of FIG. 3, the reference light source 11, the photodiode 16 and the half mirror 21.
Since they are on the same side, they can be configured as an integral set, which has the advantage of facilitating attachment adjustment and the like.

Also in FIG. 4, the voltage control means 20 in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the modification of. In FIG. 4, the heater 12 is I
It is a transparent heating element coating such as a TO coating and is formed on the surface of the second substrate opposite to the second electrode. In this case, the temperature sensor is mounted not on the surface of the second substrate but on the surface of the heater 12. Reference numeral 22 is a condenser lens. The light passing through the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6 is condensed by the condensing lens 22 onto the photodiode 16 to detect the state change of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6. 2 and 3, the brightness of the reference light source needs to correspond to the brightness of the subject by automatic adjustment or the like. However, according to the configuration of FIG. 4, the reference light source 11 is unnecessary and Since the state change of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6 is detected from the portion where the image of the subject actually recorded is recorded, there is an advantage that it is more accurate.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a method of reading information recorded on an information recording medium by the information recording apparatus of the present invention.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 23 is a white light source, a light source such as a He-Ne laser, a semiconductor laser, and 24 is a photoelectric conversion device such as an image sensor, a linear sensor, a photo sensor, or a photodiode. The reading light incident on the information recording medium 8 containing the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6 by the light source 23 is scattered or transmitted depending on the alignment state of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6. That is, the read light incident on the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6 is subject to modulation according to the intensity distribution of the light when it is written in the sensor including the photoconductive layer 3, and thus the recorded information is recorded. Reading is performed. The modulated readout light is converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion device 24, and optical information corresponding to the recorded image is taken out as an electric signal. This electric signal is output to a printer, a CRT or the like as needed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a method for reproducing and displaying information recorded on an information recording medium by the information recording apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 6, 25 is a screen. A white light source such as a halogen lamp or a xenon (Xe) lamp is used as the light source 23. Light emitted from the light source 23 is incident on the information recording medium 8 and the read information is displayed on the screen 25.
It is projected on the surface of and reproduced and displayed. If necessary (for example, when the light source cannot be regarded as a point light source), a lens (not shown) collects the light that has passed through the information recording medium 8 and forms an image on the surface of the screen 25. Although the examples have been shown above in the form of recording films, it goes without saying that the same can be done even if the substrate is other than a film, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

[Optical Sensor and Information Recording Medium] Next, the optical sensor and the information recording medium in the present invention will be described.
The optical sensor 7 and the information recording medium 8 are laminated with a gap or in close contact with each other, and a voltage is applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to their surfaces. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a case where the planar optical sensor 7 and the information recording medium 8 are closely adhered and laminated in the information recording apparatus of the present invention. In FIG.
Reference numeral 28 is a dielectric layer used when the layers are closely adhered to each other.
Further, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a case where the planar optical sensor 7 and the information recording medium 8 are laminated with a gap provided in the information recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the gradation scale, which is the subject, is recorded on the information recording medium 8. This is not visible from the illustrated angle, but it is the same in FIG. 7. The optical sensor 7 and the information recording medium 8 in the present invention may have any of the configurations shown in FIGS.

The photoconductive layer of the photosensor of the present invention may be composed of a single layer or a laminated body composed of a plurality of layers. Here, a laminated photosensor will be described. In FIGS. 7 and 8, 1 is a first base material, 2 is a first transparent electrode, and 3 is a photoconductive layer. The photoconductive layer 3 is composed of 26 charge generation layers and 27 charge transport layers. That is, the optical sensor 7 is composed of the first substrate 1, the first transparent electrode 2, the charge generation layer 26, and the charge transport layer 21. Further, 4 is a second substrate, 5 is a second transparent electrode, and 6
Is a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal, and an information recording medium is composed of these.

[Structure and Material of Optical Sensor] First, the optical sensor will be described. In the optical sensor, the charge generation layer 26
Consists of a charge generating substance and a binder. As the charge generating substance, pyrylium dye, azurenium dye,
Dyes and pigments such as squarylium salt-based dyes, phthalocyanine-based pigments, perylene-based pigments, polycyclic quinone-based pigments, indigo-based pigments, pyrrole-based pigments and azo-based pigments can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of the binder include polycarbonate resin, vinyl formal resin, vinyl acetal resin, vinyl butyral resin, polyester resin, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin and the like. The binder resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The mixing ratio of these charge generating agent and binder is 0.1 to 1 part by weight of the charge generating agent.
It is desirable to use 10 parts by weight, preferably 0.2 to 1 part by weight. The charge generation layer has a thickness after drying of 0.01 to 1 μm, preferably 0.1 to 0.5 μm.
m is preferable, and such a film thickness shows good sensitivity and image quality. In addition, the above-described charge-generating substance that can be vapor-deposited can be formed into a film alone without using a binder.

The charge transport layer 27 is composed of a charge transport material and a binder. The charge-transporting substance is a substance having a good property of transporting charges generated in the charge-generating layer, and examples thereof include oxazole-based, thiazole-based, triphenylmethane-based, styryl-based, stilbene-based, hydrazone-based, carbazole-based, enamine-based, and There are aromatic amine-based, triphenylamine-based, butadiene-based, polycyclic aromatic compound-based, biphenyl-based, etc., and it is necessary to use a substance having good hole transport properties.

As the binder, the same binders as those in the charge generation layer described above, and styrene resin, styrene-butadiene copolymer resin, polyarylate resin, and phenoxy resin can be used, but preferably styrene resin and styrene-butadiene copolymer. Polymer resins and polycarbonate resins. The binder is 0.1 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 0.
It is desirable to use it in a ratio of 1 to 1 part by weight. The thickness of the charge transport layer after drying is from 1 to 50 μm, preferably from 3 to 26 μm. With such a thickness, good sensitivity and image quality can be obtained.

The first transparent electrode 2 is the information recording medium is required to have transparency as long as opaque, transparent if the information recording medium has a transparency may be either opaque, 10 ⁶ Omega · A material that stably gives a specific resistance of not more than cm, for example, a metal thin film conductive film of gold, platinum, zinc, titanium, copper, iron, tin, etc., tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, vanadium oxide. A metal oxide conductive film such as the above, an organic conductive film such as a quaternary ammonium salt, or the like can be used alone or as a composite material of two or more kinds. Of these, oxide conductors are preferable, and indium tin oxide (ITO) is particularly preferable.

The first transparent electrode 2 is formed by a method such as vapor deposition, sputtering, CVD, coating, plating, dipping and electric field polymerization. The film thickness needs to be changed depending on the electrical characteristics of the material forming the electrodes and the applied voltage at the time of information recording. For example, the thickness of the ITO film is about 10 to 300 nm, and the entire surface between the information recording layer and Alternatively, it is formed according to an arbitrary pattern. Further, two or more kinds of materials can be laminated and used.

The first substrate 1 is required to have transparency if the information recording medium described later is opaque. However, if the information recording medium is transparent, it may be transparent or opaque. It has the shape of a film, tape, sheet, disk, etc., and strongly supports the optical sensor. For example flexible plastic film,
Or glass, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethylmethacrylate,
A rigid body such as a card such as a plastic sheet such as polymethyl acrylate, polyester, or polycarbonate is used. If the electrode 13 is transparent, a layer having an antireflection effect may be laminated on the other surface of the substrate on which the electrode 13 is provided, or a film having a film thickness capable of exhibiting the antireflection effect may be formed. The antireflection property may be imparted by adjusting the transparent substrate or by combining the two.

The photoconductive layer contains an electron-accepting substance, a sensitizing dye,
Antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, light stabilizers and the like may be added. The electron-accepting substance and the sensitizing dye have the functions of adjusting the base current, stabilizing the base current, and sensitizing. Each is added in an amount of 0.001 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 0.01 to 1 part by weight, relative to 1 part by weight of the photoconductive substance. If less than 0.001 parts by weight, no action is shown, and 1
If the amount is more than 0 parts by weight, the image quality is adversely affected. This is the end of the description of the configuration and materials of the optical sensor of the present invention.

[Fabrication of Laminated Photosensor] Next, a method for fabricating the laminated photosensor will be described. An ITO film having a sheet resistance of 80 Ω / □ and a film thickness of 100 nm was formed by sputtering on a sufficiently washed glass substrate having a thickness of 1.1 mm to obtain an electrode. Scriber cleaning machine for electrodes (trade name: plate cleaner model 602 Ultratech)
At this point, the cleaning treatment was performed twice: pure water spraying 2 seconds, scriber cleaning 20 seconds, pure water rinse 15 seconds, water removal by high speed rotation 25 seconds, and infrared drying 55 seconds. 3 parts by weight of a bisazo pigment having a structure shown in Table 1 below as a charge generating substance on the electrode, a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate mixed resin (Denka vinyl # 1000D manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo and 18,325.89J vinyl acetate resin manufactured by Aldrich). With 7
1 part by weight of a mixture of 5:25), 98 parts by weight of 1,4-dioxane and 98 parts by weight of cyclohexanone, and sufficiently kneaded with a mixer to prepare a coating solution, which is spun at 1400 rpm for 0.4 seconds. Coated with.

[0031]

[Chemical 1] After that, a film is formed on the surface of the coating film, leveling drying is performed by leaving it in the absence of dust until the surface does not adhere, and then dried at 100 ° C. for 1 hour to form a charge generation layer having a thickness of 300 nm. Were laminated.

On this charge generation layer, a butadiene derivative having a structure shown in Table 2 below (T manufactured by Annan) was used as a charge transporting substance.
-405) 50 parts by weight and 10 parts by weight of styrene-butadiene copolymer resin (Clearene 730L manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) are uniformly dissolved in 68 parts by weight of chlorobenzene and 136 parts by weight of 1,1,2-trichloroethane to obtain a coating solution. And

[0032]

[Chemical 2] Using the coating solution, a spinner was used at 350 rpm,
After coating for 4 seconds, the film is formed on the surface of the coating film and left to stand without wind for leveling and drying until the surface of the coating film does not adhere. A photosensor of the present invention having a 20 μm-thick photoconductive layer including a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer was manufactured by laminating a transport layer, and was aged for 3 days in a dark place at room temperature and a relative humidity of 60% or less. .

[Structure and Material of Information Recording Medium] Next, the structure and material of the information recording medium 2 will be described. First, as an information recording medium in the present invention, a case where the information recording layer is a polymer dispersed liquid crystal is mentioned. The polymer-dispersed liquid crystal has a structure in which resin particles are dispersed in a liquid crystal phase, and a smectic liquid crystal, a nematic liquid crystal, a cholesteric liquid crystal, or a mixture thereof can be used as the liquid crystal material. As the liquid crystal, it is preferable to use a smectic liquid crystal from the viewpoint of so-called memory property that retains its orientation and permanently retains information.

As the smectic liquid crystal, a liquid crystal substance exhibiting a smectic A phase such as a cyanobiphenyl type, a cyanoterphenyl type, a phenyl ester type having a long terminal carbon group of a substance exhibiting liquid crystallinity, a fluorine type or the like, a ferroelectric substance Examples thereof include a liquid crystal substance exhibiting a smectic C phase used as a liquid crystal, a liquid crystal substance exhibiting smectic H, G, E, F and the like.

The material for forming the resin particles is, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin that is compatible with the liquid crystal material in the monomer or oligomer state, or a solvent common to the liquid crystal material in the monomer or oligomer state. Those having compatibility with can be preferably used. Examples of such an ultraviolet curable resin include acrylic acid ester and methacrylic acid ester. In addition, a solvent-soluble thermosetting resin having compatibility with a liquid crystal material and a common solvent, such as an acrylic resin, a methacrylic resin, a polyester resin, a polystyrene resin, and a copolymer containing these as a main component, an epoxy resin, You may use silicone resin etc.

The liquid crystal material and the resin may be used in such a manner that the liquid crystal content is 10 to 90% by weight, preferably 40 to 80% by weight.
If it is less than 10 parts by weight, the light transmittance is low even if the liquid crystal phase is aligned by information recording, and if it exceeds 90 parts by weight, phenomena such as seeping out of the liquid crystal occur and image unevenness is not preferable. Since the film thickness of the information recording layer affects the resolution,
Film thickness after drying 0.1 μm to 10 μm, preferably 3 μm
The thickness may be 8 μm, and the operating voltage can be lowered while maintaining high resolution. If the film thickness is too thin, the contrast of the information recording portion will be low, and if it is too thick, the operating voltage will be high, which is not preferable. This is the end of the description of the configuration and materials of the information recording medium of the present invention.

[Production of Information Recording Medium] Next, a method for producing the information recording medium will be described. An ITO film having a film thickness of 100 nm was formed as a conductive layer on a glass substrate having a thickness of 1.1 mm by sputtering to obtain an electrode, and then the surface was washed. A polyfunctional monomer (dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, manufactured by Toagosei Kagaku, M
-400) 40 parts by weight, photocuring initiator (2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-one, Ciba Geigy Ltd., Darocure 1173) 2 parts by weight, liquid crystal 50 parts by weight (of which smectic liquid crystal ( Made by Merck,
90% S-6, nematic liquid crystal (M3, E3
1 LV) 10%), a surfactant (Sumitomo 3M, Florard FC-430) 3 parts by weight A coating solution obtained by uniformly dissolving in 96 parts by weight of xylene was provided with a blade coater having a gap of 50 μm. After coating, the coating film was dried at 47 ° C. for 3 minutes, then dried under reduced pressure at 47 ° C. for 2 minutes, and the coating film was immediately cured by infrared irradiation of 0.3 J / cm ² to form an information recording layer having a film thickness of 6 μm. An information recording medium having the above was obtained. After extracting the liquid crystal from the information recording layer surface with hot methanol and drying it, the internal structure was observed with a scanning electron microscope (S-800 manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.) at 1000 times. It had a structure in which a resin particle phase having a particle diameter of 0.1 μm was filled in a liquid crystal phase which was covered with a cured resin and formed a continuous layer inside the layer.

[Structure and Material of Integrated Type Intermediate Layer] As described above, in the structure of the information recording apparatus of FIG. 7, the optical sensor and the information recording medium in the structure of the information recording apparatus of FIG. They are arranged so as to face each other and are directly laminated to form an integrated type. The second information recording system is particularly suitable when the photoconductive layer in the photosensor is formed by coating using a solvent, and when the information recording layer is directly formed by coating on the photoconductive layer, the interaction of the two causes It is possible to prevent image unevenness due to liquid crystal elution in the information recording layer and elution of the photoconductive material by the solvent for forming the information recording layer, and it is possible to integrate the optical sensor and the information recording medium. It is what

When forming the dielectric layer 28, it is necessary that the dielectric layer 28 has no solubility in the photoconductive layer forming material and the information recording layer forming material, and that it has no conductivity. Is. In the case of having conductivity, the space charge is diffused and the resolution is deteriorated, so that the insulating property is required. Further, the dielectric layer lowers the distribution voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer or deteriorates the resolution. Therefore, it is preferable that the film thickness is thin, preferably 2 μm or less. In addition to the generation of image noise due to various interactions, there is a problem of penetration due to defects such as pinholes in the multilayer coating. The penetrability due to defects such as pinholes depends on the solid content ratio of the material to be laminated and coated, the type of solvent, and the viscosity.
The following film thickness is preferable, and 0.1 μm to 3 μ is preferable.
It is good to set m. Further, in consideration of the voltage distribution applied to each layer, it is preferable to use a material having a high dielectric constant as well as a thin film.

As a material for forming the dielectric layer 28, inorganic materials such as SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , CeO ₂ and Al are used.
₂ O ₃ , Si ₃ N ₄ AiN, TiN, MgF ₂ , Zn
When S, a combination of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide, a combination of zinc sulfide and magnesium fluoride, a combination of aluminum oxide and germanium, etc. are used and laminated by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method or the like. Good. Alternatively, a water-soluble resin having a low compatibility with an organic solvent, for example, an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol, water-based polyurethane, water glass, or the like may be used and laminated by a spin coating method, a blade coating method, a roll coating method, or the like. Further, a coatable fluororesin may be used, and in this case, it may be dissolved in a fluorine-based solvent and applied by a spin coating method, or may be laminated by a blade coating method, a roll coating method or the like.

As the fluororesin which can be applied, for example, the fluororesin disclosed in JP-A-4-24728,
Furthermore, organic materials such as polyparaxylylene and polyvinyl alcohol, which are film-formed in a vacuum system, can be preferably used. As described above, as the information recording medium, the recording by the information exposure is visualized by the orientation of the liquid crystal, but by selecting the combination of the liquid crystal and the resin, the information once oriented and the visualized information is not erased, It is possible to impart sex. Further, by heating to a high temperature near the isotropic phase transition, the memory property can be erased, so that it can be used for information recording again. This is the end of the description of the configuration and material of the intermediate layer of the integrated type according to the present invention.

[Temperature Characteristics of Information Recording Medium] Next, the temperature characteristics of the information recording medium used in the present invention will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of temperature characteristics of the information recording medium used in the present invention. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the voltage (Volt) applied to the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 6, and the vertical axis represents the modulation rate (%). The modulation rate is a scale in which the output of the detector in the maximum light transmission state is 100% and the output of the detector in the maximum light scattering state is 0% when optically reading the recorded information from the information recording medium. Is given to the output of the detector. As shown in the figure, the reason why the modulation rate changes sharply with respect to the change in voltage is
It shows that the sensitivity is extremely high. On the other hand, the change in the characteristic of the modulation rate with respect to temperature indicates that the temperature and voltage are controlled when used in an environment where the temperature changes. It also shows that it is possible to erase the recorded information by utilizing such characteristics. In the present invention, in consideration of such characteristics of the information recording medium, specific settings such as a temperature condition and a voltage condition during use are set.

[Photo-induced Current Amplifying Function of Photo Sensor] Next, the photo-induced current amplifying function of the photo sensor 7, which is one of the features of the present invention, will be described. When the light pattern is applied to the light sensor, the light sensor exhibits conductivity, and the voltage applied to the information recording medium or the amount of charge applied is amplified over time. Further, if the voltage is continuously applied even after the light irradiation is finished, the photosensor maintains the expressed conductivity in a relaxation-attenuating manner, and the voltage applied to the information recording medium or the applied charge amount continues to elapse. Is amplified. Then, these voltages and charge amounts form a voltage pattern and charge amount pattern having the same shape as the light pattern applied to the optical sensor, and are further medium-converted into a visible pattern or the like as necessary and recorded on the information recording medium. It

The time-dependent amplifying action of the applied charge amount in the photosensor, that is, the "photoinduced current amplifying action" will be described in more detail. An optical sensor and a measuring device are configured as follows, and the photo-induced current amplification action of the optical sensor is measured. An ITO electrode is provided on transparent glass, a photoconductive layer is formed on the electrode, and 0.16 cm is further formed on the photoconductive layer.
Form ² gold electrodes. Then, between the two electrodes, ITO
While applying a constant DC voltage with the electrode as a positive electrode,
0.5 seconds after the start of voltage application, light is irradiated from the substrate side for 0.033 seconds, and the behavior of the current value in the photosensor during the measurement time is measured from the start of light irradiation (t = 0). The irradiation light is a xenon lamp (L2274 manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics).
To a light source, a green filter (manufactured by Nippon Vacuum Optical Co., Ltd.) having the characteristics shown in FIG. To do.

Considering the power spectrum of the light source, the light transmittance of the transparent substrate, the ITO film, and the spectral characteristics of the filter when light is irradiated at this light intensity, the photoconductive layer has 4.2 × 10 4.
¹¹ photons / cm ² seconds are incident. Then, if all the incident photons are converted into photocarriers, theoretically, the photocurrent is 1.35 × 10 ⁻⁶ A / unit area /
A current of cm ² is generated.

Here, in the case of the photo-induced current actually generated by the optical sensor with respect to the theoretical photo-current when measured by the above-mentioned measuring device (photo-induced current value actually generated by the photo-sensor / theoretical The photocurrent value) is defined as the quantum efficiency of the photosensor. The photo-induced current is the current value of the light irradiation part minus the base current value which is the current that flows in the part when light is not irradiated. It refers to a current that flows due to it and is different from so-called photocurrent. The photoinduced current amplification action in the photosensor of the present invention is defined as such behavior of photoinduced current.

An optical sensor having a photo-induced current amplifying action and an optical sensor having no photo-induced current amplifying action (hereinafter referred to as a comparative sensor) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the measurement results of the measuring device. First, the measurement results of the comparative sensor are shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, line (m) is a reference line showing the theoretical value (1.35 × 10 ⁶ A / cm ² ), and light irradiation was performed for 0.033 seconds, and voltage application was continued after light irradiation. Indicates. The (n) line is a measured line of an optical sensor having no photo-induced current amplification effect, and FIG. 12 shows changes in quantum efficiency during light irradiation.

On the other hand, in the photosensor according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 13 as an example, the photoinduced current increases at the time of light irradiation, and as is clear from FIG. It can be seen that the quantum efficiency exceeds 1 in 0.01 seconds and continues to increase thereafter. Further, in the comparative sensor, the photocurrent abruptly attenuates at the same time as the light irradiation is completed, so that even if the voltage is continuously applied after the light irradiation, the effective current as the light information cannot be obtained. On the other hand, in the photosensor of the present invention, the photoinduced current continuously flows by continuing the voltage application even after the light irradiation, and the photoinduced current can be continuously taken out, and the optical information can be continuously obtained. it can. This effect is defined as relaxation-type conductivity. This is the end of the description of the photo-induced current amplifying action of the photosensor in the present invention.

[Semiconductivity of Optical Sensor] In the optical sensor of the present invention, the photoconductive layer is a semiconductive material in the dark.
From the flowing current density, the specific resistance in the dark is 10 ⁹ to 10 ¹³ Ω.
It is preferably cm. Particularly, the specific resistance is 10 ¹⁰ to 1
With 0 ¹¹ Ω · cm, the amplification effect is remarkable. In the case of an optical sensor having a specific resistance larger than 10 ¹³ Ω · cm, 10 ⁵ to 1
In the electric field strength range of 0 ⁶ V / cm, it does not exhibit the amplifying action as the optical sensor of the present invention. Also, the specific resistance is 10 ⁹ Ω · c.
If the photosensor is less than m, a large amount of current flows, and noise is likely to occur due to the current, which is not preferable.

On the other hand, for an organic photoconductor used for general electrophotography, a material having a dark specific resistance of 10 ¹⁴ to 10 ¹⁶ Ω · cm is used as an insulating material in the dark. Has been. Therefore, when the photosensor of the present invention is used in electrophotography, the purpose of electrophotography cannot be achieved.
Further, the organic photoreceptor used in general electrophotography cannot attain the object of the present invention when used in the photosensor of the present invention.

Further, when the information recording layer in the information recording medium is a polymer dispersed liquid crystal, it is necessary to set the sensitivity of the optical sensor in the operating voltage region of the liquid crystal. That is, the contrast voltage, which is the voltage between the voltage (bright potential) applied to the information recording medium in the maximum exposure portion and the voltage (dark potential) applied to the information recording medium in the minimum exposure portion, is It is necessary to be included in the operating voltage region of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal and have such a size that a predetermined operating amplitude can be obtained. Therefore, for example, the dark potential applied to the liquid crystal layer of the minimum exposure portion of the photosensor needs to be set to about the operation start potential of the liquid crystal. Therefore, the resistivity of the information recording medium is 10 ¹⁰ to 10 ¹³ Ω · cm at room temperature,
The optical sensor is required to have such conductivity that a base current of 10 ⁻⁴ to 10 ⁻⁷ A / cm ² is generated in a state where an electric field of 10 ⁵ to 10 ⁶ V / cm is applied, and preferably 10 ⁻⁵ to 10 ^-6
The range of A / cm ² is good.

In a photosensor having a base current of less than 10 ^-7 A / cm ² , the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer is not aligned even in the maximum exposure state, and in a photosensor having a base current of 10 ^-4 A / cm ² or more. Even when the liquid crystal layer is in the minimum unexposed state, a large current flows at the same time as voltage is applied, and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal is aligned.
Therefore, even if exposed, a difference in transmittance depending on the exposure amount cannot be obtained. Further, since the operating voltage and range may vary depending on the type of liquid crystal, it is necessary to consider the voltage distribution in the information recording medium when setting the applied voltage and the voltage application time. This is the end of the description of the semiconductivity of the optical sensor of the present invention.

[0053]

As described above, according to the information recording apparatus of the present invention, an optical sensor having a photo-induced current amplification effect is used, and the sensitivity is high, and the optical sensor and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal are combined. High-resolution recording can be performed by combining the information recording medium as a constituent element. Further, according to the information recording apparatus of the present invention having the temperature holding means, since the temperature holding means can hold the temperature of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal with high accuracy, the information recording is always performed under optimum conditions. Therefore, it is possible to highly utilize the original recording performance. Further, according to the information recording apparatus of the present invention having the voltage control means, it is possible to compensate for and eliminate variations in the operating point of the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal by the voltage control means. Imaging at a constant operating point is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view mainly showing a configuration of an image pickup system, an optical sensor information recording medium and the like of an information recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram mainly showing a configuration of a temperature holding unit, a voltage control unit, etc. of the information recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first modification of the voltage control means in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a second modification of the voltage control means in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a method of reading information recorded on an information recording medium by the information recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a method for reproducing and displaying information recorded on an information recording medium by the information recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a case where a planar optical sensor and an information recording medium are laminated in close contact with each other in the information recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a case where an optical sensor having a planar shape and an information recording medium are laminated with a gap provided in the information recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of temperature characteristics of an information recording medium used in the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing characteristics of a green filter used in the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing measurement results of a conventional sensor that does not have a photoinduced current amplifying action, unlike the photosensor of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a change in quantum efficiency during light irradiation of an optical sensor having no photoinduced current amplification effect.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an increase in photoinduced current at the time of light irradiation in the photosensor having a photoinduced current amplification effect according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the quantum efficiency of photoinduced current during light irradiation in the photosensor having the photoinduced current amplification effect according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a conventional information recording method or device in which information recording is stabilized.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. First substrate 2. First transparent electrode 3. Photoconductive layer 4. Second substrate 5. Second transparent electrode 6. Polymer dispersed liquid crystal 7. Optical sensor 8. Information recording medium 9. Subject 10. Lens 11. Reference light source 12. Heater 13. Temperature sensor 14. Temperature sensor amplifier 15. Heater power supply controller 16. Photodiode 17. Photodiode amplifier 18. Electrode voltage control device 19. Temperature maintaining means 20. Voltage control means 21. Half mirror 22. Condensing lens 23. Light source 24. Photoelectric conversion device 25. Screen 26. Charge generation layer 27. Charge transport layer 28. Dielectric layer 101. Photoreceptor layer 102. Light modulation material layer 103, 104.2 Two electrode layers 105. Subject 106. Lens 107. Temperature detecting means 108. Amplifier 109. Schmitt circuit 110. Coil 111. Fan switch 112. Fan 113. Heater switch 114. Heater 115. Reference light source 116. Detector 117. Variable voltage source

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A photosensor, which comprises a transparent first substrate, a first transparent electrode, and a photoconductive layer, is semiconductive, and exhibits a photoinduced current amplification effect, a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal and a photosensor. Information recording medium formed by stacking two transparent electrodes, voltage application means for applying a voltage to the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode, and image formation for forming a subject image on the optical sensor An information recording apparatus comprising: a means and a temperature holding means for holding the information recording medium at a predetermined temperature. 2. A transparent first substrate, a first transparent electrode, and a photoconductive layer, which are laminated, are semiconductive, and exhibit a photoinduced current amplifying action, a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal, and a photosensor. Information recording medium formed by stacking two transparent electrodes, voltage application means for applying a voltage to the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode, and image formation for forming a subject image on the optical sensor An information recording apparatus comprising: a voltage control unit for controlling a voltage applied by the voltage applying unit based on a signal obtained by detecting a change in the state of the information recording medium.