Process for producing negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member, negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member, and electrophotographic apparatus using same
First Claim
1. A process for producing a negative charging electrophotographic photosensitive member having a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material;
- the process comprising the steps of;
as a first step, the sub-steps comprising (a) placing a cylindrical substrate having a conductive surface in a film forming furnace connected to an evacuation means, having a source gas feed means and capable of being made vacuum-airtight, and decomposing a source gas by high frequency power to deposit on the substrate a photoconductive layer formed of at least a non-single-crystal material as a first layer and (b) forming on the surface side of said photoconductive layer in said first layer an upper-part blocking layer containing at least silicon and a Group 13 element in the periodic table;
as a second step, first taking out of the film forming furnace the substrate on which the first layer has been deposited, and then;
as a third step, removing protuberances at least at their vertexes on the surface of the first layer deposited in the first step;
as a fourth step, placing the substrate having been subjected to the third step in a film forming furnace having an evacuation means and a source gas feed means and capable of being made vacuum-airtight, and subjecting the surface of the first-layer to plasma treatment with a gas composed of a source gas for feeding a Group 13 element in the periodic table and a dilution gas composed of at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, argon and helium; and
as a fifth step, decomposing at least a source gas by a high frequency power to deposit on the first layer a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material as a second layer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a process for producing a negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member which can improve the adherence between a first layer and a second layer without lowering the effect of lessening image defects and realize a reduction in overall costs, a negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member produced by the process, and an electrophotographic apparatus. In the process for producing a negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member, a first layer is deposited on a substarte, at least the vertexes of protuberances are removed, the substrate with the first layer deposited theron is placed in a film forming furnace, the first layer surface is plasma-treated with a gas containing at least a Group 13 element in the periodic table and a dilution gas composed of at least one selected from hydrogen, argon and helium, and a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material is deposited as the second layer on the first layer.
-
Citations
11 Claims
-
1. A process for producing a negative charging electrophotographic photosensitive member having a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material;
- the process comprising the steps of;
as a first step, the sub-steps comprising (a) placing a cylindrical substrate having a conductive surface in a film forming furnace connected to an evacuation means, having a source gas feed means and capable of being made vacuum-airtight, and decomposing a source gas by high frequency power to deposit on the substrate a photoconductive layer formed of at least a non-single-crystal material as a first layer and (b) forming on the surface side of said photoconductive layer in said first layer an upper-part blocking layer containing at least silicon and a Group 13 element in the periodic table; as a second step, first taking out of the film forming furnace the substrate on which the first layer has been deposited, and then; as a third step, removing protuberances at least at their vertexes on the surface of the first layer deposited in the first step; as a fourth step, placing the substrate having been subjected to the third step in a film forming furnace having an evacuation means and a source gas feed means and capable of being made vacuum-airtight, and subjecting the surface of the first-layer to plasma treatment with a gas composed of a source gas for feeding a Group 13 element in the periodic table and a dilution gas composed of at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, argon and helium; and as a fifth step, decomposing at least a source gas by a high frequency power to deposit on the first layer a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material as a second layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- the process comprising the steps of;
-
11. A negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member which comprises a cylindrical substrate having at least a conductive surface, a first layer formed thereon comprising a photoconductive layer formed of at least a non-single-crystal material, an upper-part blocking layer formed of at least a non-single-crystal material containing carbon and silicon and a protective layer, and a second layer formed on the first layer of at least a non-single-crystal material, wherein
(a) an abnormal-growth portion in the first layer does not reach the second layer, and content distribution of a Group 13 element in the periodic table has a peak in an interfacial region between the first layer and the second layer; -
(b) a compositional ratio of carbon to silicon which constitute said upper-part blocking layer increases toward the surface side; and (c) the peak of the content distribution of the Group 13 element of the periodic table in the interfacial region between said first layer and said second layer corresponds to from 5.0×
1017 atoms/cm3 or more to 1.0×
1021 atoms/cm3 or less.
-
Specification