Electrophotographic photosensitive member and method for producing electrophotographic photosensitive member

• US 10,642,175 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohira, Jun, Owaki, Hironori, Abe, Yukihiro, Kojima, Yasuo, Ooyama, Kazunari, Ueno, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Vajda, Peter L
• Application Number:
  US16/114,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20190072865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/325 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 8/12 using elemental oxygen or ozone
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/75 Details relating to xerographic drum, band or plate, e.g. replacing, testing electrographic recording members per se G03G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00957 Compositions
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/08214 Silicon-based
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/08221 comprising one or two silicon based layers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/08235 comprising three or four silicon-based layers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0825 comprising five or six silicon-based layers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/08278 Depositing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/08285 Carbon-based in ad mixture with Si G03G5/08214
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/102 consisting of or comprising metals
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/14704 comprising inorganic material

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member which has a substrate, a photoconductive layer and a surface layer formed from hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide in this order. The average value of the carbon content (C/(C+Si)) of the surface layer formed from the hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide is set at 0.90 or more and less than 1.00, and the average value of the hydrogen content (H/(H+C+Si)) is set at 0.40 or less; and when the average value of the ratios of the sum of a Si—O bond and an O—Si—O bond in the outermost surface region that constitutes a range within a depth of 5 nm or less from the outermost surface of the surface layer is represented by a, and an average value of the silicon content (Si/(C+Si)) is represented by b, 0.015≤a*b≤0.090 holds.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photosensitive member having a substrate, a photoconductive layer, and a surface layer formed from hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide, in this order, wherein

an average value of ratios (C/(C+Si)) of a number (C) of carbon atoms to a sum of a number (Si) of silicon atoms and the number (C) of carbon atoms in the surface layer is 0.90 or more and less than 1.00, and

an average value of ratios (H/(H+C+Si)) of a number (H) of hydrogen atoms to a sum of the number (H) of hydrogen atoms, the number (C) of carbon atoms and the number (Si) of silicon atoms in the surface layer is 0.40 or less;

and

when an average value of ratios of a sum of a Si—

O bond and an O—

Si—

O bond to a sum of Si-related bonds (sum of a Si—

Si bond, a Si—

C bond, a Si—

O bond and an O—

Si—

O bond) in an outermost surface region that constitutes a range within a depth of 5 nm or less from the outermost surface of the surface layer is represented by a, and an average value of ratios (Si/(C+Si)) of the number (Si) of silicon atoms to a sum of the number (Si) of the silicon atoms and the number (C) of carbon atoms in the surface layer is represented by b, 0.015≤

a*b≤

0.090 holds.

2. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein a maximum value of ratios (sp2/(sp2+sp3)) of an sp2 bond to a sum of the sp2 bond and an sp3 bond each between the carbon atoms in the outermost surface region is 0.50 or less.

3. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein a layer thickness of the surface layer is 20 nm or more and 500 nm or less.

4. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the average value of the ratios (H/(H+C+Si)) of the number (H) of hydrogen atoms to the sum of the number (H) of hydrogen atoms, the number (C) of the carbon atoms and the number (Si) of silicon atoms in the surface layer is 0.35 or less.

5. A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a layer formed from an amorphous material, comprising:

first, placing a cylindrical substrate having an electroconductive surface in a vacuum sealable reaction furnace which is connected to an evacuation unit and is provided with a source gas supply unit, decomposing a source gas using a high-frequency power, and depositing a photoconductive layer formed from an amorphous material on the substrate;

second, depositing the surface layer formed from hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide on the photoconductive layer; and

third, subjecting the surface layer to oxidation treatment.

6. The method for producing the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 5, wherein the oxidation treatment is treatment of heating the surface layer in an atmosphere containing oxygen.

7. The method for producing the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 5, wherein the oxidation treatment is treatment of subjecting the surface layer to plasma treatment in an atmosphere containing oxygen.

8. The method for producing the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 6, wherein the oxidation treatment is performed in a reaction furnace different from a reaction furnace in which the deposition treatment has been performed.