Patent ID: 6838690

Claim:
A method for recording and reading out an electrostatic latent image, in which intensity distribution information of recording light is recorded as an electrostatic latent image in a capacitor of an electrostatic recording body composed by stacking in a following order: a first conductive layer having a transmittivity to recording light; a recording photoconductive layer exhibiting a photoconductivity by receiving irradiation of the recording light; a capacitor for storing charges in a quantity in response to a light quantity of the recording light as latent image charges; a reading photoconductive layer exhibiting a photoconductivity by receiving irradiation of the reading light; and a second conductive layer having a transmittivity to the reading light, the method comprising the steps of: applying a voltage between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the voltage causing avalanche amplification in the recording photoconductive layer; recording the electrostatic latent image in a state where the voltage is applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and short circuiting the first and second conductive layers during readout of the electrostatic latent image.