Photographic media including a photosensitive binder-free silver halide layer and method for producing same

Claim 1

AN IMAGE RECORDING MEDIUM COMPRISING A SUBSTRATE ELEMENT HAVING A SURFACE PROVIDING A RECORDING AREA, A PHOTOGRAPHIC LAYER OF VAPOR DEPOSITED PHOTOSENSITIVE SILVER HALIDE MICROCRYSTALS IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS PHASE SUPPORTED UPON SAID ELEMENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING THE EXTENT OF SAID AREA, SAID LAYER BEING ADHERED DIRECTLY TO SAID SUBSTRATE AND SAID MICROCRYSTALS BEING COHERED DIRECTLY TO EACH ORTHER, SAID LAYER HAVVING A DENSITY LESS THAN THAT OF SAID HALIDE IN SOLID CRYSTALLINE FORM, SAID LAYER BEING A FRACTION OF A MICRON IN THICKNESS, AND A SURFACE PORTION OF SAID LAYER OVER SAID AREA HAVING BEEN TREATED WITH A PHOTOSENSITIZING MATERIAL TO PROVIDE AN INCREASED PHOTOGRAPHIC SENSITIVITY FOR SAID SURFACE PORTION, SAID SENSITIZING MATERIAL BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF: 1,1''-DIETHYL-2,2''-CYANINE BROMIDE, ETHYL, PROPYL AND BUTYL POLYGLYCOLS, NONYL PHENOL ETHYLENE OXIDE CONDENSATES, AMMONIUM ALKYL PHENOXY POLYOXYETHYLENE SULFATE, ALKOXY POLYOXYETHYLENE ETHANOL, DIETHYLENE TRIAMINE, SPERMINE, BIS (B-AMINOETHYL) SULFIDE, TRIETHANOL AMINE, TRIETHANOLAMINE LAURYL SULFATE, ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRAACETIC ACID, DIMETHYLAMINE BORANE, COPPER HALIDE, AMMONIUM HALIDE, AMMONIUM ACETAE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE, AND SULFOXIDES OF THE FORMULA R-SO-R WHEREIN THE TWO R''S ARE THE SAME OR DIFFERENT AND ARE SELECTED FROM THE RADICALS CONSISTING OF METHYL,ETHYL, PROPYL, BUTL, TOLYL, PHENYL, BENZYL B-PHENETHYL, ETHENYL AND PROPENYL.