Image forming materials and image forming process

Claim 2

In an image forming material comprising a support having thereon a layer composed of a Ge-S composition or a Ge-S-X composition, wherein X represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Mg, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Ni, Sn, Zn, Pd, Se, Te, Fe, I, P and O, which undergoes a structural change capable of being detected optically, electrically or chemically upon exposure imagewise to light, wherein the improvement comprises: said Ge-S or Ge-S-X composition layer is continuous and has a thickness of at least 300 A, and said Ge-S composition or said Ge-S-X composition contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ag and Cu in an amount of more than two atoms of Ag and/or Cu based on 100 atoms of the Ge-S composition or the Ge-S-X composition, wherein the amount is sufficient to improve the moisture stability of the composition and the Ag and/or Cu is dispersed in the composition.

Claim 3

The image forming material as set forth in claim 1, wherein said material additionally contains an organic compound in a state of contacting said Ge-S composition or said Ge-S-X composition layer, said organic compound being a compound conventionally used in silver halide photographic chemistry as an antifogging agent, a sensitizing agent, a desensitizing agent, a developing agent, a dye, a pigment or a photochromic compound.

Claim 4

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein the amount of the Ag and/or Cu is 5 or more atoms based on 100 atoms of the Ge-S composition or the Ge-S-X composition.

Claim 5

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein the amount of the Ag and/or Cu in the Ge-S composition having the formula GeS.sub.α is up to about ##EQU5## and in the Ge-S-X composition having the formula GeS.sub.α X.sub.β is up to about ##EQU6## wherein in the above α is the atomic ratio of sulfur atoms to germanium atoms and β is the atomic ratio of X atoms to germanium atoms.

Claim 6

The image forming material as set forth in claim 4, wherein said Ag and/or Cu is present in an amount of about 80% of said amount as set forth in claim 4.

Claim 7

The image forming material as set forth in claim 5, wherein the amount of Ag is up to 10 atoms and the amount of Cu is up to 10 atoms, each based on 100 atoms of the Ge-S composition or the Ge-S-X composition.

Claim 8

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein the atomic ratio of the Ge to the S on the Ge-S composition or the Ge-S-X composition is 1≦S/Ge<16.

Claim 9

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein X is an element selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, I, P and O.

Claim 10

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein said organic compound is a compound having at least one of a --SH moiety, a C═S moiety, a --(S) n -- moiety where n is 1 to 6, a --SO 2 H moiety or a --SO 3 H moiety.

Claim 11

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein said organic compound is selected from the group consisting of Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet and Rhodamine B.

Claim 12

The image forming material as set forth in claim 9, wherein said organic compound is selected from the group consisting of (1) thioureas represented by the following formula: ##STR31## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, or wherein R 1 and R 2 or R 3 and R 4 may be bonded to form a 5-membered heterocyclic ring; (2) thiosemicarbazides and thiocarbazides represented by the following formulae: ##STR32## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or a phenyl group, or derivatives thereof; (3) dithiocarbamic acids represented by the following formula: ##STR33## wherein R 1 and R 2 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an aralkyl group having 7 to 9 carbon atoms or a phenyl group; M represents a hydrogen atom or a n-valent metal ion; and n represents 1 or 2; (4) thiobenzophenones represented by the following formula: ##STR34## wherein R 1 and R 2 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms; an alkoxy group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a dialkylamino group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties thereof, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom or an iodine atom; (5) dithiolan; (6) a thiazole or a benzothiazole; (7) a thiadiazole; (8) a pyrrole or a benzopyrrole; (9) an imidazole or a benzimidazole; (10) an imidazoline; (11) a triazole or a benzotriazole; (12) a tetrazole; (13) a pyrimidine; and (14) a tetrazaindene.

Claim 13

The image forming material as set forth in claim 2, wherein said organic compound is selected from the group consisting of 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole, 3-methyl-4-phenyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, 3,4-dimethyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, 3-(p-caproamidophenyl)4-ethyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, 3-n-undecyl-4-phenyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, 1,5-dimercapto-3,7-diphenyl(1,2,4)triazolo(1,2,2) (1,2,4)triazole, 1-phenyl-2-mercaptoimidazole, 2-hexadecylthioimidazoline hydrobromide, 2-thioxo-4-oxothiazolidine, 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole, bismuthiol II, 2-ethylthio-4-methyl-6-hydroxypyrimidine, 2-mercapto-4-hydroxy-6-methyl pyrimidine, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-4,4'-diaminothiobenzophenone, sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, silver diethyldithiocarbamate, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylene-diamine hydrochloride, monoethylurea, dimethylolthiourea, 4-phenylthiosemicarbazide, 2,5-di-(1,1-dimethylbutyl)hydroquinone and 1-(m-caproamidophenyl)-5-mercaptotetrazole.

Claim 14

The image forming material as set forth in claim 1, wherein said improvement comprises said Ge-S composition or said Ge-S-X composition containing Ag in an amount of more than two atoms of Ag based on 100 atoms of the Ge-S composition or the Ge-S-X composition.

Claim 15

The image forming material as set forth in claim 1, wherein said improvement comprises said Ge-S composition or said Ge-S-X composition containing Cu in an amount of more than two atoms of Cu based on 100 atoms of said Ge-S or said Ge-S-X composition.

Claim 16

A method for forming visible images having different hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity in the exposed areas than in the non-exposed areas which comprises exposing the image-forming material of claim 1 to light.

Claim 17

The method set forth in claim 15, wherein said image forming material additionally contains an organic compound conventionally used in silver photographic chemistry as an antifogging agent, a sensitizing agent, a desensitizing agent, a developing agent, a dye, a pigment, or a photochromic compound in a state of contacting said Ge-S composition or said Ge-S-X composition layer.

Claim 18

The method as set forth in claim 15, where in addition to exposing said material to light, said material is physically developed to thereby produce visible images having a high contrast.

Claim 19

The image forming material as set forth in claim 1, wherein said layer composed of a Ge-S composition or a Ge-S-X composition is provided by simultaneous deposition of Ag and/or Cu and the Ge-S or Ge-S-X composition onto the support.

Claim 20

The image forming material as set forth in claim 18, wherein said layer is provided by a vacuum deposition process, a flash evaporation process, an electron beam deposition process, a sputtering process, an ion plating process, an electrodeposition process, an electrophoresis process, a gas phase deposition process or a spraying process.

Claim 21

The image forming material as set forth in claim 18, wherein said layer is provided by a vacuum deposition process.

Claim 22

The image forming material as set forth in claim 18, wherein said layer is provided by an electron beam deposition process.

Claim 25

The method for producing an image forming material as set forth in claim 22, wherein said layer is formed by a vacuum deposition process, a flash evaporation process, an electron beam deposition process, a sputtering process, an ion plating process, an electrodeposition process, an electrophoresis process, a gas phase deoposition process or a spraying process.

Claim 26

The method for producing an image forming material as set forth in claim 22, wherein said layer is formed by a vacuum deposition process.

Claim 27

The method for producing an image forming material as set forth in claim 22, wherein said layer is formed by an electron beam deposition process.

Claim 28

The method for producing an image-forming material as set forth in claim 22, wherein said material additionally contains an organic compound in a state of contacting said Ge-S composition or said Ge-S-X composition layer, said organic compound being a compound conventionally used in silver halide photographic chemistry as an antifogging agent, a sensitizing agent, a desentizing agent, a developing agent, a dye, a pigment or a photochromic compound.

Claim 29

The method for producing an image-forming material as set forth in claim 22, wherein the amount of the Ag and/or Cu is 5 or more atoms based on 100 atoms of the Ge-S composition or the Ge-S-X composition.

Claim 30

The method for producing an image forming material as set forth in claim 22, wherein the amount of the Ag and/or Cu in the Ge-S composition having the formula GeS.sub.α is up to about ##EQU7## and in the Ge-S-X composition having the formula GeS.sub.α X.sub.β is up to about ##EQU8## wherein in the above α is the atomic ratio of sulfur atoms to germanium atoms and β is the atomic ratio of X atoms to germanium atoms.