A new coumarin derivative with blue-violet light absorption was designed and synthesized. Its structure was characterized based on elemental analysis, MS, and 1 H-NMR spectra. The absorption properties and thermal stability of the coumarin derivative were discussed. A sample disk, which was made by a spin-coated coumarin derivative recording layer, showed good recording and readout characteristics with CNR of about 45 dB for 8T carrier signals. These results show that the coumarin derivative dye is a promising candidate for optical recording using the wavelength of 405 nm.Index Terms-Blue-violet laser, coumarin derivative, high density digital versatile disk-recordable (HD DVD-R), organic dye.