JPS61295555A - Recording material and recording method using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase printing speed, to improve printing quality and to save electric power by successively laminating a transparent, electrically conductive layer, a photoconductive insulator layer and an electrically conductive layer to produce a recording material, forming a transparent support on the transparent, electrically conductive layer, bringing ordinary paper into contact with the electrically conductive layer, and giving a photo signal from the support side with potential difference between the electrically conductive layer and the transparent, electrically conductive layer. CONSTITUTION:A photoconductive insulator layer 3 and an electrically conductive layer 4 are successively formed on one side of a transparent, electrically conductive layer 2 to produce a recording material, and a transparent support 1 for holding the recording material is formed on the other side of the layer 2. When a photo signal 7 is given from the support side, the part of the insulator layer 3 receiving the signal 7 is made electrically conductive to suddenly increase electric current by voltage applied from a power source 6. At this time, dielectric breakdown occurs in the insulator layer 3 and an image 8 to be transferred is transferred to image receiving paper 5. The image 8 is fixed by heat generated at the same time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to a recording material that receives an optical signal as input, and a recording method using the same.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Conventionally, electrophotographic methods, transfer type thermal methods, inkjet methods, and the like are known as recording methods that can record and print on plain paper. Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages.

For example, an electrophotographic method that uses light can achieve high printing quality at high speed, but requires large and expensive equipment.

The transfer type thermal method has high reliability and is advantageous in terms of maintainability, but consumes high power. Although the inkjet method is a compact, low-cost, and low-power device, it still has some problems.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a new recording material and recording method that solve the problems of the conventional methods described above.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention is a recording material in which a transparent conductive layer, a photoconductive insulator layer, and a conductive layer are laminated in this order. Then, recording is performed by bringing plain paper into close contact with the N-conducting layer side of this recording material, and applying an optical signal from the transparent support side while applying a potential difference to the transparent conductive layer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recording material and a recording method based on the present invention. In this example, a transparent support layer for holding a recording material is further provided on the transparent conductive layer. This transparent support layer 1 may be of any material as long as it has sufficient transparency for the optical signal 7, and for example, a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film or a polyvinyl fluoride film is used. The transparent conductive layer 2 also transmits the optical signal 7
Any conductor may be used as long as it has sufficient transparency. Metal thin films such as gold, palladium, and aluminum, semiconductor thin films such as indium tin oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and copper iodide, multilayer films such as titanium oxide-silver-titanium oxide, polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride, and polymers. There are thin films. These can be made on the transparent support layer 1 by vapor deposition or coating. Further, the transparent support M1 and the transparent conductive layer 2 may be an integrated layer as long as transparency to the optical signal 7 can be ensured. The photoconductive insulator layer 3 may be any material that exhibits the so-called photoconductive phenomenon, in which current increases when an electric field is applied and light is applied (many materials including those used in electrophotography can be used). .As a representative example,
Examples include vapor-deposited layers of selenium or various selenium-based alloys, resin-dispersed layers such as cadmium sulfide, zinc oxide, phthalocyanine pigments, perylene pigments, and various organic photoconductors such as polyvinyl carbazole and trinitrofluorenone. It is also possible to use a so-called functionally separated type, in which the functions of carrier generation by light and carrier transport, which are often used in electrophotographic photoreceptors, are separated. For the conductive layer 4, a conductive pigment such as a resin-dispersed layer of conductive carbon, a vapor-deposited film of metal such as aluminum, etc. can be used.

The image-receiving paper 5 can be any paper or sheet, including commonly available paper, art paper, and transparent film used in overhead projectors.

The optical signal 7 can be generated using methods well known in the field of optical printers, such as using various laser beams, light emitting diodes, and liquid crystal shutters. Spectral sensitivity and optical signal of photoconductive insulator layer 3 @7
Of course, it is possible to match the emission wavelength of .

The power source 6 is for creating a potential difference between the transparent conductive layer 2 and the conductive layer 4, or in other words, it is for creating an electric field in the thickness direction of the photoconductive insulator layer 3. Direct current, alternating current, or direct current and alternating current may be superimposed.

Due to the optical signal @7 applied from the transparent support layer 1 side, the portion of the photoconductive insulating layer 3 that is hit by the optical signal 7 becomes conductive, and the current due to the voltage applied by the power source 6 increases rapidly. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, dielectric breakdown occurs in the photoconductive insulator 3, and the transferred image 8 is transferred to the image receiving paper 5 side and fixed by the heat generated at the same time.

〔Effect of the invention〕

With this invention, it is possible to obtain printing speed and print quality close to those of the electrophotographic method, reliability equivalent to that of the thermal transfer method, and small size, low price, and power saving similar to the inkjet method.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Example 1 A vapor-deposited thin film of indium tin oxide was formed as the transparent conductive layer 2 on a 75 kat polyester film as the transparent support layer 1. Furthermore, an acrylic resin dispersion layer of zinc oxide dye-sensitized with Eriofrom Black T and having a thickness of about 8 µm was provided as a photoconductive insulating layer 3 thereon. The conductive layer 4 is made by dispersing carbon black in styrene-acrylic resin to form a conductive layer of approximately 3JJI.
It was provided with a thickness of n.

When a voltage of +350 V was applied between the transparent conductive layer 2 and the conductive layer 4 while writing on this recording material with a printer head using a light emitting diode array with a light emission wavelength of 630 nm, good printing was obtained on the image receiving paper 5 with pitch black. It was done.

Example 2 The transparent support layer 1 and transparent conductive layer 2 are the same as in Example 1. The photoconductive insulator layer 3 was formed by coating copper phthalocyanine dispersed in acrylic resin varnish. conductive layer 4
deposited aluminum.

+20 nm between the transparent conductive layer 2 and the conductive layer 4 while writing using a semiconductor laser with an emission wavelength of 780 nm and an output of 5 mW.
When 0 V was applied, good blue printing was obtained on the image receiving paper 5.

Example 3 The recording material was constructed such that +500 V was applied between the transparent conductive layer 2 and the conductive layer 4 while writing was performed using N,N--dimethylperimy as the photoconductor of the photoconductive insulator layer 3. However, good red printing was obtained on the image receiving paper 5.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the basic concept of this invention. 1: Transparent support layer 2: Transparent conductive layer 3: Photoconductive insulator layer 4: Conductive layer 5: Image receiving paper 6: Power source 7: Optical signal agent Patent attorney Noriyuki Chika (and 1 other person)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A photoconductive insulating layer exhibiting a photoconductive phenomenon formed on a transparent conductive layer having light transmittance and conductivity, and a conductive layer having conductivity provided on the photoconductive insulator layer. Recording material characterized by consisting of. (2) The recording material according to claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer is formed on a transparent support layer having light transmittance. (3) A photoconductive insulating layer exhibiting a photoconductive phenomenon formed on a transparent conductive layer having light transmittance and conductivity, and a conductive layer having conductivity provided on the photoconductive insulating layer. Recording is performed by holding an image receiving paper on which recording is to be performed on the surface of a conductive layer of a recording material, and further applying a potential difference between the transparent conductive layer and the conductive layer and applying an optical signal from the transparent conductive layer side. A recording method characterized by: