ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PHOTOSENSITIVE MEMBER, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS

• US 20080304864A1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogaki, Harunobu, Kitamura, Wataru, Okuda, Atsushi, Hirano, Hidetoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,655,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/159
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/047 characterised by the charge-generation layers or charge transport layers G03G5/0433 and G03G5/0436 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0525 Coating methods
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0542 Polyvinylalcohol, polyallylalcohol; Derivatives thereof, e.g. polyvinylesters, polyvinylethers, polyvinylamines
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0564 Polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/0696 Phthalocyanines
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/102 consisting of or comprising metals
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/144 comprising inorganic material

Abstract

Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which friction memory does not easily occur, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus which have the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer has a surface layer having a plurality of depressed portions which are independent from one another, where the minor axis diameter of the depressed portions is Rpc and the depth indicating the distance between the innermost part of a depressed portion and the opening surface thereof is Rdv, the depressed portions have a ratio of depth to minor axis diameter (Rdv/Rpc) on a surface of the photosensitive member of 1.0 or less, and the photosensitive layer has a charge transporting material with an ionization potential of 4.5 eV or more and 5.3 eV or less.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a photosensitive layer on a support, wherein

the electrophotographic photosensitive member has 100 or more depressed portions which are independent from one another per unit area (100 μ

m×

100 μ

m) over the whole surface of a surface layer;

where the minor axis diameter of the depressed portions is Rpc and the depth indicating the distance between the innermost part of a depressed portion and the opening surface thereof is Rdv, the depressed portions have a ratio of depth to minor axis diameter (Rdv/Rpc) of 1.0 or less; and

the photosensitive layer comprises a hole transporting material with an ionization potential of 4.5 eV or more and 5.3 eV or less.

2. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of average depth Rdv to minor axis diameter Rpc (Rdv/Rpc) of the depressed portions is 0.10 or more and 0.40 or less.

3. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the depth Rdv of the depressed portions is 0.01 μ

m or more and 3.00 μ

m or less.

4. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 3, wherein the depth Rdv of the depressed portions is 0.05 μ

m or more and 1.20 μ

m or less.

5. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member has 250 or more and 1,000,000 or less depressed portions per unit area (100 μ

m×

100 μ

m).

6. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein an opening area ratio of the depressed portions is 16% or more.

7. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 6, wherein an opening area ratio of the depressed portions is 20% or more and 50% or less.

8. A process cartridge, integrally supporting on a support the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1 and at least one device selected from the group consisting of a charging device, a developing device and a cleaning device, the process cartridge being freely detachable/mountable to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus.

9. An electrophotographic apparatus comprising the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device and a transfer device.