Patent ID: 7041354

Claim:
Optical data carrier comprising a preferably transparent substrate which may, if desired, have previously been coated with one or more reflection layers and to whose surface a light-writeable information layer, if desired one or more reflection layers and if desired a protective layer or a further substrate or a covering layer have been applied, which can be written on or read by means of blue, light, preferably laser light, where the information layer comprises a light-absorbent compound and, if desired, a binder, characterized in that at least one cyanine dye is used as light-absorbent compound; wherein the cyanine dye has the formula (I) where X 1 and X 3 represent nitrogen or X 1 —R 1 and X 3 —R 2 represent, independently of one another, S, X 2 represents O, S, N—R 6 , CR 8 or CR 8 R 9 , X 4 represents O, S, CR 10 or N—R 7 , Y represents C—CN, R 1 , R 2 , R 6 and R 7 represent, independently of one another, C 1 –C 16 -alkyl, C 3 –C 6 -alkenyl, C 5 –C 7 -cycloalkyl or C 7 –C 16 -aralkyl, R 3 and R 4 represent, independently of one another, hydrogen, C 1 –C 16 -alkyl or cyano or R 1 and R 3 together represent a —(CH 2 ) 2 —, —(CH 2 ) 3 — or —(CH 2 ) 4 — bridge when m=0 and p>0 or R 1 and R 5 together represent a —(CH 2 ) 2 —, —(CH 2 ) 3 — or —(CH 2 ) 4 — bridge when m=0 and p=0 or R 2 and R 5 together represent a —(CH 2 ) 2 —, —(CH 2 ) 3 — or —(CH 2 ) 4 — bridge when n=0, R 8 , R 9 and R 10 represent, independently of one another, hydrogen or C 1 –C 16 -alkyl or CR 8 R 9 represents a bivalent radical of the formula where the two bonds go out from the ring atom marked with an asterisk (*), m and n represent, independently of one another, 0 or 1, p represents 0 or 1, the ring A including X 1 , X 2 and the radical connecting X 1 and X 2 and the ring B including X 3 , X 4 and the radical connecting X 3 and X 4 each represent, independently of one another, a five- or six-membered aromatic or pseudoaromatic or partially hydrogenated heterocyclic ring which may contain from 1 to 4 heteroatoms and/or be benzo- or naphtho-fused and/or be substituted by nonionic radicals, where the rings A and B are preferably not identical, and An − represents an anion.