Claims
- 1. A photothermographic element comprising a support having a first surface and a second surface, a photothermographic composition that is to be exposed to a laser being disposed on said first surface of said support, and at least one back layer disposed on said second surface of said support,
said photothermographic composition comprising silver halide emulsion grains having a number average grain size of less than 0.1 μm and that are spectrally sensitized with a sensitizing dye having a spectral sensitivity that corresponds to the spectral properties of said laser, said photothermographic composition further comprising a light-insensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent for silver ions, and at least one dye, wherein said photothermographic composition has a transmission optical density greater than 0.1 at the exposure wavelength, and said at least one back layer has a transmission optical density greater than 0.1 at the exposure wavelength.
- 2. The photothermographic element of claim 1 further comprising a dye in an amount of from 5 to about 200 mg/M2 on either or both sides of said support.
- 3. The photothermographic element of claim 1 wherein said photothernographic composition is disposed as a composition layer that displays uniform image density across its surface when exposed to floodlight or uniform incandescent light exposure at a radiation wavelength to which said composition layer is sensitive, said composition layer comprising at least two layers, including a top layer and a photothermographic emulsion layer, said composition layer comprising a binder, said light-insensitive organic silver salt, said reducing agent for silver ions, said silver halide emulsion grains, and said dye,
wherein:
1) said top layer has haze induced therein of from about 0.05 to about 30%, 2) there is a random refractive pattern on said top layer, 3) there is haze in the silver halide containing layer caused by particulates, 4) the reflective characteristics of a surface of said support layer facing said emulsion layer have been altered to reduce reflection of coherent radiation into said composition layer, and/or 5) said element has dyes therein that absorb said radiation to which said composition layer is sensitive.
- 4. The element of claim 3 wherein said haze in said top layer is provided by the presence of particles in said top layer, said particles having a number average size of from about 0.5 to about 12 μm.
- 5. The element of claim 1 wherein the number average size of said silver halide emulsion grains is from about 0.01 to about 0.08 μm.
- 6. The element of claim 1 wherein the number average size of said silver halide emulsion grains is from about 0.03 to about 0.07 μm.
- 7. The element of claim 1 displaying less than 0.05 variation in average optical density among any three linearly consecutive areas defined by squares of from about 0.5 mm2 to about 5 cm2 when said element is uniformly exposed over its entire surface to coherent radiation to which said element is spectrally sensitive.
- 8. The element of claim 7 wherein said three linearly consecutive areas are squares of 1 mm2.
- 9. The element of claim 3 wherein said top layer provides a level of haze from about 0.5 to about 8% to said element.
- 10. The element of claim 3 wherein the reflective properties of said support are changed by having a coating thereon, the refractive index of the coating being at least 0.02 closer to the refractive index of said composition layer than to the refractive index of said support.
- 11. The element of claim 1 that is spectrally sensitized to the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- 12. The element of claim 1 that is spectrally sensitized to the red region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- 13. The element of claim 1 that is spectrally sensitized to the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- 14. The element of claim 1 wherein said first surface of said support is textured to prevent uniform reflection of coherent radiation off said surface.
- 15. The element of claim 1 wherein said first surface of said support has polymeric particles on said surface.
- 16. The element of claim 1 wherein said back layer comprises a heat-bleachable antihalation composition.
- 17. The element of claim 1 wherein said photothermographic composition comprises a water-soluble binder, a water-dispersible binder, or a water-dispersible binder that has been dispersed as a polymeric latex.
- 18. The element of claim 1 wherein said silver halide emulsion grains are silver bromide or silver iodobromide grains.
- 19. The element of claim 1 further comprising a phthalazine compound as a toner.
- 20. The element of claim I wherein said light-insensitive organic silver salt comprises a silver salt of a carboxylic acid containing 10 to 30 carbon atoms or a silver salt of a benzotriazole.
- 21. A method for providing a black-and-white image comprising imagewise exposing the photothermographic element of claim 1 to provide a latent image and heat-developing said element to provide a visible image from said latent image.
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein said imagewise exposing of the element is carried out with a red emitting laser or red emitting laser diode.
- 23. The method of claim 21 wherein said imagewise exposing of the element is carried out with an infrared emitting laser or infrared emitting laser diode.
- 24. The photothermographic element of claim 1 wherein said photosensitive layer has an absorbance of up to 0.8 at an exposure wavelength.
- 25. The photothermographic element of claim 1 further comprising a surface layer containing particulates, wherein the diameter of said particulates is 2 to 9 μm.
- 26. The element of claim 1 wherein the said silver halide emulsion grains are present in an amount of 0.03 to 0.12 mol per mol of said organic silver salt.
- 27. The photothermographic element of claim 1 further comprising a compound or compounds of formula (I) and formula (II):
- 28. The photothermographic element of claim 1 further comprising an antistatic layer or a conducting layer.
- 29. The photothermographic element of claim 1 wherein said support is a poly(ethylene naphthalate) film, a cellulose acetate film, or a polycarbonate film.
- 30. A spectrally sensitized photothermographic element comprising a support having on at least one side of said support (a) photosensitive silver halide grains, (b) a non-photosensitive reducible silver source, (c) a reducing agent, and (d) a binder, wherein said photothermographic material further comprises a surface layer containing particulates, wherein the diameter of said particulates is 2 to 9 μm.
- 31. The photothermographic element of claim 30 wherein said surface layer is the uppermost layer on said at least one side of said support, and the presence of said particulates provide increased haze in the photothermographic material of from 0.5% to 8%.
- 32. The photothermographic element of claim 30 wherein said particulates are silica or optically transparent polymeric beads.
- 33. The photothermographic element of claim 32 wherein said particulates are optically transparent polymeric beads composed of poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene methacrylate, diol dimethacrylate homopolymers or copolymers of these diol dimethacrylates with long chain fatty alcohol esters of methacrylic acid and/or ethylenically unsaturated comonomers, such as stearyl methaerylate/hexanediol diacrylate crosslinked beads.
- 34. The photothermographic element of claim 30 further comprising a photosensitive layer containing said photosensitive silver halide grains and one or more dyes in an amount of 5 to 200 mg/m2 to provide an absorbance in said photosensitive layer of at least 0.1 at an exposure wavelength.
- 35. The photothermographic element of claim 30 wherein at least one surface of the support has been modified, which surface is facing a photosensitive layer containing said silver halide grains, wherein,
said modification of said support roughens said surface, or textures said surface, or alters the refractive index of said surface of said support such that the refractive index is at least 0.02 closer to that of said photosensitive layer than unmodified support.
- 36. The photothermographic element of claim 30 comprising at least one backside layer on the side of the support opposite to the said photosensitive silver halide grains, wherein said backside layer has a transmission optical density greater than 0.1 at the exposure wavelength.
- 37. The photothermographic element of claim 30 wherein said photosensitive silver halide grains are preformed grains and have a number average grain size of less than 0.10 μm.
- 38. The photothermographic element of claim 30 wherein said binder is a water-soluble binder, a water-dispersible binder, or a water-dispersible binder that has been dispersed as a polymeric latex.
- 39. The photothermographic element of claim 30 wherein said support is a polyethylene naphthalate film, a cellulose acetate film, or a polycarbonate film.
- 40. A photothermographic element comprising a support and on at least one side thereof, a binder, an organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and photosensitive silver halide grains, wherein
said photosensitive silver halide grains are in a photosensitive layer having an absorbance of at least 0.1 at an exposure wavelength, said photosensitive layer further contains a compound or compounds of formula (I) and formula (II): Ar—SM (I) Ar—S—S—Ar (II) wherein M represents a hydrogen atom or alkali metal atom, and Ar represents an aromatic ring or fused aromatic ring containing one or more of nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, selenium, or tellurium atoms, and said photosensitive layer contains one or more sensitizing dyes that are merocyanine or complex merocyanine dyes.
- 41. The photothermographic element of claim 40 wherein Ar in formula (I) and formula (II) is a heteroaromatic ring.
- 42. The photothermographic element of claim 40 wherein Ar in formula (I) and formula (II) is a heteroaromatic ring that is benzimidazole, naphthimidazole, benzothiazole, naphthothiazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, benzoselenazole, benzotellurazole, imidazole, oxazole, pyrazole, triazole, thiadiazole, tetrazole, triazine, pyrimidine, pyridazine, pyrazine, pyridine, purine, quinoline or quinazolinone.
- 43. The photothermographic element of claim 40 wherein said photosensitive layer has an absorbance of up to 0.8 at an exposure wavelength.
- 44. The photothermographic element of claim 40 wherein said photosensitive layer contains 0.001 to 1.0 moles of said one or more compounds of formula (I) and formula (II) per mole of silver halide, and said photosensitive layer also contains 10−8 to 10−3 moles of said sensitizing dyes per mole of silver halide.
- 45. The photothermographic element of claim 40 wherein said photosensitive layer contains a dye in an amount of 5 to 200 mg/m2 to provide the said absorbance of at least 0.1 at an exposure wavelength.
- 46. The photothermographic element of claim 40 wherein said binder is a water-soluble binder, a water-dispersible binder, or a water-dispersible binder that has been dispersed as a polymeric latex.
- 47. A spectrally sensitized photothermographic element comprising a transparent support having on a side thereof, a binder, an organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and photosensitive silver halide grains, wherein
at least one surface of said support has been modified, which surface is facing a photosensitive layer containing said silver halide grains, wherein, said modification of said support roughens the surface, or textures said surface, or alters the refractive index of said surface of said support such that the refractive index is at least 0.02 closer to that of said photosensitive layer than that of the unmodified support.
- 48. The photothermographic element of claim 47 wherein said support surface modification is accomplished by having particles on the support surface facing said photosensitive layer, either in the support or through application of a coating of optically roughening material prior to coating the layers of said photothermographic element.
- 49. The photothermographic element of claim 47 wherein said binder is a water-soluble binder, a water-dispersible binder, or a water-dispersible binder that has been dispersed as a polymeric latex.
- 50. The photothermographic element of claim 47 wherein said support is a polyethylene naphthalate film, a cellulose acetate film, or a polycarbonate film.
- 51. A spectrally sensitized photothermographic silver halide element comprising a transparent support having on at least one surface thereof a photothermographic emulsion layer having a total uniform thickness of from 10 to 40 μm, said photothermographic emulsion layer comprising a binder, a light insensitive silver source, a reducing agent for silver ion and radiation sensitive silver halide grains, which element displays uniform image density across its surface when exposed to floodlight or uniform incandescent light exposure at a wavelength of radiation to which the photothermographic emulsion layer is sensitive, said uniform image density meaning a variation in optical density of no more than 5% at a gray out optical density of from 1.5 to 1.9 between adjacent areas of 1 mm2 of said photothermographic emulsion layer surface,
said photothermographic element comprising at least two layers, including a top layer having a uniform thickness of from 0.5 to 6 μm, and said photothermographic emulsion layer, and wherein:
1) the top layer of the element has haze induced therein of 0.05 to 30%, 2) there is a random refractive pattern on the top layer, 3) there is haze in the photothermographic emulsion layer caused by optically transparent particulates, 4) the reflective characteristics of a surface of said transparent support layer facing the photothermographic emulsion layer have been altered to reduce reflection of coherent radiation into said emulsion layer, or 5) said element having one or more acutance dyes in said photothermographic emulsion layer that absorb radiation to which said photothermographic emulsion layer is sensitive.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a Continuation-In-Part of copending and commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 10/162,961 filed Jun. 5, 2002, that is a Divisional of commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 09/550,007 filed Apr. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,616, that is a Continuation-In-Part of commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 08/340,233 filed Nov. 16, 1994, now abandoned.
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09550007 |
Apr 2000 |
US |
Child |
10162961 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10162961 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Child |
10328217 |
Dec 2002 |
US |
Parent |
08340233 |
Nov 1994 |
US |
Child |
09550007 |
Apr 2000 |
US |