Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroaki Niino

Shinji Tsuchida

Satoshi Kojima

Masafumi Sano

Takehito Yoshino

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Toshimitsu Kariya

Toshiyasu Shirasuna

Makoto Aoki

Hitoshi Murayama

Ryuji Okamura

Tetsuya Takei

Daisuke Tazawa

Koji Yamazaki

Kazuyoshi Akiyama

Toshiyuki Ehara

Masaya Kawada

Shigenori Ueda

Yukihiro Abe

Masahiro Kanai

Shigeru Shirai

Koji Hitsuishi

A vacuum processing method including placing an article to be processed in a reaction container and simultaneously supplying at least two high-frequency powers having different frequencies to the same high-frequency electrode to generate plasma in the reaction container by the high-frequency powers introduced into the reaction container from the high-frequency electrode. The frequencies and power values of the at least two high-frequency powers supplied satisfy a required relationship.

Vacuum processing apparatus in which high frequency powers having mutually different frequencies are used to generate plasma for processing an article

A vacuum processing method that includes placing an article to be processed in a reaction container and simultaneously supplying at least two high-frequency powers having mutually different frequencies to at least one high-frequency electrode to generate plasma in the reaction container by the high-frequency powers introduced into the reaction container from the high-frequency electrode(s), thereby processing the article. The frequencies and power values of the at least two high-frequency powers supplied satisfy required relationships.

Vacuum processing method and semiconductor device manufacturing method in which high-frequency powers having mutually different frequencies are applied to at least one electrode

To plasma-process a substrate having a large area uniformly at a high process speed to form a deposition film with uniform thickness and quality and favorable characteristics. A first high frequency power (with a frequency fand a power P) and a second high frequency power (with a frequency fand a power P) supplied to an electrode from a first high frequency power supply and a second high frequency power supply, respectively, are set so that the frequencies are equal to or higher than 10 MHz and equal to or lower than 250 MHz, a ratio of the frequency fto the frequency f(f/f) is equal to or higher than 0.1 and equal to or lower than 0.9, and a ratio of the power Pto a total power (P+P) is equal to or higher than 0.1 and equal to or lower than 0.9. The frequency fis changed during processing the substrate.

Plasma processing method and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Vacuum processing method

Electrophotographic light-receiving member and process for its production

An electrophotographic light-receiving member comprising a conductive support and provided thereon a photoconductive layer formed of a non-single-crystal material mainly composed of silicon atom and containing hydrogen atom and an element belonging to Group IIIb of the periodic table; wherein the photoconductive layer has hydrogen atom content, an optical band gap and a characteristic energy obtained from the exponential tail of light absorption spectra, all in specific ranges, and has on the surface side thereof a second layer region that absorbs a prescribed amount of light incident on the photoconductive layer and on the support side thereof the other first layer region; the element belonging to Group IIIb of the periodic table being contained in the second layer region in an amount made smaller than that in the first layer region. This can provide an electrophotographic light-receiving member that has achieved all the improvement in chargeability, the improvement in temperature characteristics thereof and the decrease in photomemory, and has been dramatically improved in image quality, and can provide an electrophotographic light-receiving member improved in temperature characteristics of sensitivity and linearity of sensitivity especially in the case where semiconductor lasers or LEDs are used.

Electrophotographic light-receiving member

An electrophotographic light-receiving member has a conductive support and a photoconductive layer composed of a non-monocrystalline material comprising silicon atoms as a matrix, hydrogen and/or halogen atoms, and an element belonging to Group IIIb of the periodic table. The photoconductive layer has from the surface side toward the conductive support side, a third layer region that absorbs 50-90% of incident image exposure light and a second layer region that absorbs 60-90% of pre-exposure light incident on the photoconductive layer. The Group IIIb element is present such that its content decreases from the conductive support side to the surface side. In three embodiments the photoconductive layer has, respectively: 10-30 at. % H; 10-20 at. % H and 25-40 at % H; an optical band gap of 1.75-1.85 eV, 1.65-1.75 eV and 1.80-1.90 eV and a characteristic energy of each of 50-55 meV.

An electrophotographic light-receiving member comprising a conductive support and a light-receiving layer having a photoconductive layer showing a photoconductivity, formed on the conductive support and formed of a non-monocrystalline material mainly composed of a silicon atom and containing at least one of a hydrogen atom and a halogen atom, wherein said photoconductive layer contains from 10 atomic % to 30 atomic % of hydrogen, the characteristic energy of exponential tail obtained from light absorption spectra at light-incident portions at least of the photoconductive layer is from 50 meV to 60 meV, and the density of states of localization in the photoconductive layer is from 1.times.10.sup.14 cm.sup.-3 to 1.times.10.sup.16 cm.sup.-3. Since the in-gap levels of the photoconductive layer has been controlled, the light-receiving member can be improved in environmental stability and exposure memory at the same time and have superior potential characteristics and image characteristics.

Eclectrophotographic light-receiving member and process for its

For providing a light receiving member for electrophotography improved in chargeability, temperature characteristic of sensitivity, and optical memory characteristic and presenting excellent quality of image, the light receiving member for electrophotography comprises an electrically conductive substrate and a photoconductive layer of a non-monocrystal material containing hydrogen atoms in the matrix of silicon atoms, wherein the photoconductive layer has regions formed under such conditions as to obtain a first layer region and a second layer region both having characteristic energy (Eu) of not more than 55 meV obtained from a linear portion (an exponential tail) of a function expressed by Equation (I) defined below with photon energy (h.nu.) as an independent variable and absorption coefficient (.alpha.) of photoabsorption spectrum as a dependent variable:

Light receiving member for electrophotography and fabrication process

A light receiving member comprising a photoconductive layer disposed on an electrically conductive surface of a substrate, said photoconductive layer being constituted by a non-single crystal material containing silicon atoms as a matrix and at least one kind of atoms selected from hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms, wherein said photoconductive layer contains a plurality of layer regions which are different from each other with respect to characteristic energy at an exponential tail obtained from a light absorption spectrum, hydrogen content and optical band gap. The light receiving member exhibits excellent potential characteristics and image-forming performance for visible laser.

Light receiving member

To improve photoconductive and photoelectric-conversionary properties, e.g., to improve charging performance and at the same time make its temperature dependence lower, and to prevent exposure memory to achieve good image quality, a light-receiving member comprises a support and a photoconductive layer formed of a non-single-crystal (e.g., amorphous) material mainly composed of silicon atoms and containing at least one kind of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms, wherein the photoconductive layer has a first layer region and a second layer region which have values different from each other in specific ranges in respect of optical bandgap (Eg) and characteristic energy (Eu) obtained from the linear relationship portion or exponential tail of a function represented by Expression (I):

Light-receiving member for electrophotography having a photoconductive

A light receiving member having a light receiving layer comprising a photoconductive layer and a surface layer disposed on a conductive substrate, wherein the photoconductive layer comprises, from the side of the substrate, a first photoconductive layer constituted by an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms and fluorine atoms, and a second photoconductive layer constituted by an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, and at least one kind of atoms selected from hydrogen atoms and fluorine atoms, wherein the content of said fluorine atoms in the first photoconductive layer is from 1 to 95 atomic ppm based on the content of said silicon atoms.

Light receiving member with an amorphous silicon photoconductive layer

An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a substrate, a light receiving layer having a photoconductive layer composed of a non-single crystal material containing silicon atoms as a matrix and having photoconductivity disposed on said substrate, and a surface protective layer disposed on said light receiving layer, characterized in that said surface protective layer comprises a metal oxide film formed by adjusting the surface of said light receiving layer to have a contact angle against water of 80.degree. or more, applying a sol liquid comprising an organometallic compound admixed with water, an alcohol and an acid onto the surface of said light receiving layer, and subjecting the resultant to heat treatment. An electrophotographic apparatus provided with said electrophotographic photosensitive member. A process for the production of said electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member having a metal oxide material

An apparatus for continuously forming a functional deposited film on a continuously moving web member by microwave plasma CVD process, said apparatus comprises: a substantially enclosed columnar film-forming chamber having a curved circumferential wall formed by curving and projecting said web member as said web member is moving in the longitudinal direction by curved portion-forming means, said film-forming chamber having a film-forming space defined by a curved moving web member constituting said circumferential in which plasma is generated; at least a microwave applicator means capable of radiating a microwave energy in the direction of microwave to propagate, said microwave applicator means being mounted to said film forming chamber through one of the two side faces thereof such that part of said microwave applicator means is plunged into said film-forming space, at least said part of microwave applicator means having a dielectric exterior constituted by a dielectric material having a value of 2.times.10.sup.-2 or less in the product of the dielectric constant (.epsilon.) and the dielectric dissipation factor (tan .delta.) with respect to the frequency of microwave used;means for evacuating said film-forming chamber; means for introducing a film-forming raw material gas into said film-forming chamber; and a temperature controlling means.

Microwave plasma CVD apparatus with a deposition chamber having a

There are provided an electrophotographic apparatus and an electrophotographic process featured by control satisfying a condition 1n(n).times.1n(S)/1n(E).ltoreq.19.0 among the localized energy level density n in the photoconductive layer of an amorphous silicon photosensitive member employed in the electrophotographic apparatus, the electric field E applied to the photosensitive member, and the surfacial moving speed S thereof. Such control reduces the photocarriers remaining in the photoconductive layer and inducing the photomemory effect, thereby suppressing the influence of a remaining latent image on the latent image generated in a next step, and providing an image of high quality without the photomemory effect, within resulting in a loss in the charging efficiency.

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Shizuoka, Japan

Hiroaki Niino