Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hironori Ohwaki

Toshiyuki Ehara

Masaya Kawada

Tetsuya Karaki

Koji Yamazaki

Ryuji Okamura

Junichiro Hashizume

Kunimasa Kawamura

Satoshi Kojima

Kazuto Hosoi

Yuji Nakayama

Shigenori Ueda

Hideaki Matsuoka

Koji Hitsuishi

Kazuhiko Takada

Takaaki Kaya

In an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a support at least the surface of which is conductive, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing an amorphous material composed chiefly of silicon, the photoconductive layer has two or more layer regions, and protuberances in a layer region adjoining to a layer region that is closest to the free surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member have been stopped from growing at the surface of that layer region in which the protuberances occur. The protuberances has been stopped from growing not to become so large as to appear as image defects on images. Also disclosed is a process for producing such an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member and process for producing the same

A light-receiving member comprising a conductive substrate, and formed superposingly thereon a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer in order. The light-receiving member has a surface roughness Ra of from 15 nm to 100 nm. Also disclosed is an image-forming apparatus having such a light-receiving member, and an image-forming method of rendering visible an electrostatic pattern formed on the light-receiving member. The light-receiving member promises stable formation of images over a long period of time.

Light-receiving member, image-forming apparatus, and image-forming method

The invention provides a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member such that even if abnormal grown portions called spherical protrusionsexist on the surface of the photosensitive member, they do not appear on images, thus making it possible to considerably alleviate image defects. The method for producing the electrophotographic photosensitive member including layers each constituted by a non-single crystal material includes the steps of placing a substrate having a conductive surface in a film forming apparatus capable of being airtight-sealed under vacuum having evacuating means and raw material gas supplying means, and decomposing at least a raw material gas by a high frequency power to form a first layer constituted by at least a non-single crystal material on the substrate as a first step; exposing the substrate with the first layer formed thereon to a gas containing oxygen and water vapor as a second step; and decomposing at least a raw material gas by a high frequency power in the film forming apparatus to form on the first layer a second layer including an upper blocking layer constituted by a non-single crystal material as a third step.

Method for producing electrophotographic photosensitive member, electrophotographic photosensitive member and electrophotographic apparatus using the same

An electrophotographic photosensitive member production process is provided having the steps of placing a cylindrical substrate having a conductive surface in a first film-forming chamber, and decomposing a source gas with high-frequency power to deposit on the cylindrical substrate a first layer formed of a non-single-crystal material, taking out of the first film-forming chamber the cylindrical substrate with the first layer deposited thereon, and placing the cylindrical substrate with the first layer deposited thereon in a second film-forming chamber, and decomposing a source gas with a high-frequency power to deposit on the first layer a second layer having an upper-part blocking layer formed of a non-single-crystal material. Even where abnormal growth portions called spherical protuberances are present on the photosensitive member surface, they can be made not to appear on images, and image defects can vastly be remedied.

Process for producing electrophotographic photosensitive member, and electrophotographic photosensitive member and electrophotographic apparatus making use of the same

A process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising the steps of depositing a non-single crystal material composed basically of silicon atoms, on a cylindrical substrate in a deposition chamber, thereafter once taking the substrate with film out of the deposition chamber, then returning it to the deposition chamber, and thereafter again depositing thereon a non-single-crystal material composed basically of carbon atoms. In another embodiment, the process comprises the steps of depositing on a cylindrical substrate a photoconductive layer formed of a non-single crystal material, subjecting to surface processing the deposited film having protrusions present at its surface, and depositing on the processed surface a surface protective layer formed of a non-single-crystal material. Also disclosed is the electrophotographic photosensitive member thus obtained, and an electrophotographic apparatus having that member.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process for its production, and electrophotographic apparatus

To provide a Si photosensitive member and an image forming apparatus which prevents toner adherence at the time of cleaning and forms an excellent image, an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a photoconductive layer including amorphous Si and a surface protective layer which are formed on an electroconductive substrate has a difference in the height of concave and convex corresponding to 90% and 50% of a cumulative frequency of the height of concave and convex with respect to the most deepest point of surface roughness concave and convex within a range of 10 &mgr;m&times;10 &mgr;m of the photosensitive member as a standard which is set within a range of 3 nm to 200 nm.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member and image forming apparatus

An a-Si photosensitive member and an image forming apparatus are provided which prevent fusion bonding in digital copying machines and attain satisfactory image formation. Specifically, in order that even when uneven abrasion occurs on a drum surface layer, it may not substantially affect the image, a photosensitive member formed by successively stacking on a conductive substrate a photoconductive layer comprising amorphous Si and a surface protective layer comprised of an amorphous material is provided such that the spectral reflectance (%) satisfies the relation of 0&lE;(Max&minus;Min)/(Max&plus;Min)&lE;0.20, and a center line average roughness Ra of the interface on the surface side of the photoconductive layer and the center line average roughness Ra of the outermost surface of the surface layer, within the range of 10 &mgr;m&times;10 &mgr;m, satisfy the relations of Ra /Ra &gE;1.3 and 22 nm&lE;Ra &lE;100 nm.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member and apparatus using same

Image forming apparatus with light beam control

An electrophotographic apparatus includes a photosensitive body and electrostatic image forming device for forming an electrostatic image on the photosensitive body. The electrostatic image forming device includes an exposing device for exposing the photosensitive body by a digital light in accordance with image information. The exposing device exposes a portion that is a background for an image. A developing device develops the electrostatic image using a developer, wherein a rate throughout the developer of the contained particles have a diameter equal to or smaller than 1 &mgr;m is 5 to 40 number %, and wherein, when A denotes a one-pixel width and Wv denotes a width at half value of a peak in a potential distribution of the electrostatic image formed by exposing the photosensitive drum using the digital light of one pixel, 0.6&lE;Wv/A&lE;1.0 is satisfied.

Electrophotographic apparatus

In order to prevent uneven shaving of a light receiving member and fusion of a developer, a surface of the light receiving member after development and transfer of the developer is scrape-cleaned with an elastic rubber blade, the wear loss of the light receiving member after copying steps on transfer sheets is within a range of not less than 1 .ANG./10,000 rotations nor more than 10 .ANG./10,000 rotations.

Cleaning device for electrophotographic apparatus, electrophotographic

In a surface potential measuring apparatus for measuring a potential configuration by moving a photosensitive body of an image forming apparatus of electrophotographic type and at least one potential sensor relative to each other and by generating dielectric current in the potential sensor due to change in potential on a surface of the photosensitive body and by analyzing the dielectric current, a width of a detecting portion of the potential sensor is smaller than a width of the change in potential to be measured, and a sectional shape of the detecting portion in a plane perpendicular to the surface of the photosensitive body and parallel to the relative movement direction does not include any edge.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Hironori Ohwaki