Electrophotographic amorphous silicon member

• US 4,489,149 A
• Filed: 12/19/1983
• Issued: 12/18/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation, Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha, Takao Kawamura
• Inventors: Kawamura, Takao, Yoshida, Masazumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, Roland E.
• Application Number:
  US06/562,733
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 430/60, 430/65, 430/84, 430/95, 430/133, 430/136, 252/501.1, 204/192 P, 427/39, 427/74, 427/85, 357/2
• US Class Current: 430/65
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/08221 comprising one or two silicon based layers

Abstract

The invention disclosed relates to an electrophotographic sensitive member having a photoconductive layer of amorphous silicon. The photoconductive layer is preferably formed by the glow discharge process and includes about 10^-5 to 5×10^-2 atomic % of oxygen, about 10 to 40 atomic % of hydrogen and about 10 to 20000 ppm of a Group IIIb impurity of the Periodic Table. A barrier layer of amorphous silicon having a thickness of about 0.2 to 5 microns and containing about 0.05 to 1 atomic % of oxygen may also be formed between a substrate and said photoconductive layer.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic sensitive member which comprises a substrate, a barrier layer of amorphous silicon having a thickness of about 0.2 to 5 microns and containing about 0.05 to 1 atomic % of oxygen and a photoconductive layer of amorphous silicon formed on said barrier layer and containing about 10^-5 to 5×

10^-2 atomic % of oxygen, about 10 to 40 atomic % of hydrogen and about 10 to 20000 ppm of a Group IIIa impurity of the Periodic Table.

2. An electrophotographic sensitive member as claimed in claim 1 wherein both of said barrier layer and said photoconductive layer are formed by the glow discharge process.

3. An electrophotographic sensitive member as claimed in claim 1 wherein said barrier layer preferably contains about 0.05 to 0.5 atomic % of oxygen and as much as about 1 atomic % of oxygen when the thickness is about 0.2 to 0.04 micron.

4. An electrophotographic sensitive member as claimed in claim 2 wherein said impurity is boron.

6. An electrophotographic sensitive member as claimed in claim 2 wherein said barrier layer preferably contains about 0.05 to 0.5 atomic % of oxygen and as much as about 1 atomic % of oxygen when the thickness is about 0.2 to 0.4 micron.

5. An electrophotographic sensitive member which comprises, a barrier layer of amorphous silicon formed by the glow discharge process and having a thickness of about 0.2 to 5 micron and containing about 0.05 to 0.5 atomic % of oxygen but containing as much as about 1 atomic % when the thickness is about 0.2 to 0.4 micron, and a photoconductive layer of amourphous silicon formed by the glow discharge process and having a thickness of about 5 to 100 microns, said photoconductive layer including about 10^-5 to 5×

10^-2 atomic % of oxygen, about 10 to 40 atomic % of hydrogen and about 10 to 20000 ppm of boron.