Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Junichiro Hashizume

Shigenori Ueda

Ryuji Okamura

Makoto Aoki

Tetsuya Takei

Kazuto Hosoi

Shinji Tsuchida

Keishi Saitoh

Toshiyuki Ehara

Takayoshi Arai

Shigehira Iida

Hironori Ohwaki

Satoshi Kojima

Masaya Kawada

Tetsuya Karaki

Kunimasa Kawamura

Hideaki Matsuoka

Koji Hitsuishi

Masafumi Sano

Ryo Hayashi

Shigeru Shirai

Keishi Saito

Yasuyoshi Takai

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Kazuyoshi Akiyama

Toshiyasu Shirasuna

Masaharu Miura

Hirokazu Ohtoshi

Masahiko Tonogaki

Masaaki Yamamura

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

A process for manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member is disclosed in which a source gas is decomposed by the use of a high-frequency power in a rector to deposit sequentially on a conductive substrate i) a photoconductive layer comprised of an amorphous material composed chiefly of silicon atoms and ii) a surface layer comprised of an amorphous material composed chiefly of carbon atoms and containing hydrogen atoms. The process has the steps of forming the photoconductive layer in a first reactor, and forming the surface layer in a second reactor. This process can produce an electrophotographic photosensitive member having an a-Si photoconductive layer and a-C:H surface layer or a-C:H(Si) surface layer in a good efficiency and at a low cost. Also disclosed is an electrophotographic photosensitive member manufacturing apparatus which carries out the process.

Process and apparatus for manufacturing electrophotographic photosensitive member

An electrophotographic image forming method having cyclic steps including a charging step of charging a rotating image-bearing member to charge a surface thereof, a latent image forming steps of forming an electrostatic latent image on the charged surface of the image-bearing member, a developing step of developing the electrostatic latent image with a magnetic toner to form a toner image thereon, and a transfer step of transferring the toner image onto a recording material. In the method, the image-bearing member includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductor layer and a surface layer formed on the support.

Electrophotographic image forming method and apparatus

In an image-forming apparatus having at least i) an electrophotographic photosensitive member having at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer on a conductive substrate, ii) a developing means having a toner, and iii) a charging means, the photoconductive layer comprises a non-single-crystal material composed chiefly of silicon, the surface layer comprises a non-single-crystal carbon film containing at least hydrogen and has an arithmetic-mean roughness Ra ranging from 0 nm to 100 nm in an extent of 10 &mgr;m&times;10 &mgr;m of the surface layer, the charging mean is a magnetic-brush charging assembly or an elastic-roller charging assembly holding thereon a conductive fine powder, and the toner is a magnetic toner having toner particles containing at least a binder resin and a magnetic material, and an inorganic fine powder, having an average circularity of from 0.950 to 1.000, and having a saturation magnetization of from 10 to 50 Am /kg (emu/g) under application of a magnetic field of 79.6 kA/m (1,000 oersteds). Also disclosed is an image-forming method.

Image-forming apparatus and image-forming method

A negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an aluminum-based substrate and a silicate film and a light-receiving layer in this order. The silicate film has a layer thickness of 0.5 nm to 15 nm and comprises at least aluminum atoms, silicon atoms and oxygen atoms. The light-receiving layer has at least a lower-part charge injection blocking layer formed of a non-single crystal silicon film comprising at least silicon atoms, nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms, not doped with any impurities, a photoconductive layer formed of a non-single crystal silicon film comprising at least silicon atoms, an upper-part charge injection blocking layer formed of a non-single crystal silicon film comprising at least silicon atoms, carbon atoms and atoms belonging to the Group 13 of the periodic table, and a surface protective layer formed of a non-single crystal silicon film comprising at least silicon atoms and containing carbon atoms.

Negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member

In an image-forming apparatus having at least i) an electrophotographic photosensitive member having at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer on a conductive substrate, ii) a developing means having a toner, and iii) a charging means, the photoconductive layer comprises a non-single-crystal material composed chiefly of silicon, the surface layer comprises a non-single-crystal carbon film containing at least hydrogen and has a dynamic hardness in the range of from 4.90&times;10 to 1.76&times;10 Pa (500 to 1,800 kgf/mm ), the charging means has a charging member kept in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, forming a contact zone therewith, charges the electrophotographic photosensitive member electrostatically upon application of a voltage, and the toner is a magnetic toner having toner particles containing at least a binder resin and a magnetic material, and an inorganic fine powder, having an average circularity of from 0.950 to 1.000, and having a saturation magnetization of from 10 to 50 Am /kg (emu/g) under application of a magnetic field of 79.6 kA/m (1,000 oersteds). Also disclosed is an image-forming method.

In a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a reactor and a vacuum pump connected to the reactor to draw up a gas held in the reactor, the vacuum pump comprising a diffusion pump and an auxiliary pump, the diffusion pump and the auxiliary pump are connected through an exhaust line and a cooling unit is provided in the exhaust line, whereby the gas is cooled by the cooling unit to liquefy or condense an oil smoke comprised of a diffusion pump oil contained in the gas, to cause the resultant oil to deposit in the exhaust the diffusion pump oil can be prevented from flowing into the auxiliary pump even when material gases fed in at a high rate are exhausted.

Exhaust process and film depositing method using the exhaust process

A plasma process, which can fabricate a deposition film in short time and at low cost, which can fabricate a deposition film with excellent reproducibility, which can greatly decrease the cleaning time upon cleaning, and which is optimum for fabricating a deposit film, especially a photosensitive member for electrophotography, capable of achieving a high charge potential upon electrification and capable of obtaining clear images with less image defects, is arranged such that a raw-material gas comprising silicon is introduced into a deposition chamber while evacuating the deposition chamber capable of being kept airtight in a vacuum, the raw-material gas is decomposed by high-frequency power in the VHF band, film formation is carried out to form a deposit film on a substrate installed in the deposition chamber, and thereafter cleaning inside the deposition chamber is carried out by etching and removing a deposit film depositing inside the deposition chamber, using a gas containing at least fluorine and using high-frequency power of a frequency lower than the VHF band.

Plasma process method

As the surface layers of an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a first surface layer which satisfies a condition that a center line average surface roughness (Ra) ranges from 50 &angst; to 5000 &angst; and a second surface layer comprising a non-single-crystal carbon containing at least fluorine are laminated in this order. Thus, the generation of a defective image such as the dimness of an image or an image smearing can be suppressed under an environment of high temperature and high humidity without providing any heater even when an electrophotographic apparatus is repeatedly employed. Further, even when a toner of small particle size and excellent in its fixing characteristic is used, a cleaning characteristic can be improved and the fusion of the toner can be suppressed. Still further, even in an electrophotographic process with a frictional force raised for improving the cleaning characteristic, the cleaning characteristic can be improved and the fusion of the toner can be suppressed.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member and electrophotographic apparatus having the photosensitive member

In order to maintain excellent electrical, optical and photoconductive characteristics and to significantly improve the durability under adverse environments, a light receiving member for electrophotography according to the present invention comprises in sequence: a supporting member and a light receiving layer; said light receiving layer comprising in sequence at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer thereon, said photoconductive layer comprising a non-single-crystal material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, and said surface layer comprising an amorphous material containing silicon atoms and carbon atoms as a matrix, wherein the carbon atoms are at least diamond-bonded and graphite-bonded, and wherein from 2% to 30% by number of the carbon atoms are graphite-bonded.

Light receiving member for electrophotography

There is provided a light-receiving member comprising a photoconductive layer provided on an electroconductive substrate, and a surface layer provided on the photoconductive layer, the surface layer comprising non-single-crystal carbon containing at least fluorine, wherein the surface layer has a ratio of the area of a peak having center in the vicinity of 1200 cm,or 1120 cm,in the infrared absorption spectrum to the area of a peak having center in the vicinity of 2920 cm,being in a range from 0.1 to 50. The light-receiving member allows to obtain a high-quality image without faint image or smeared image in any ambient conditions without use of heating means for the light-receiving member, and has high durability enough for maintaining such high quality characteristics. It can also prevent, by the absence of the heating means, the adhesion of low melting toners such as color toners and the unevenness in image density, generated at the rotating interval of the developer. Besides, it has a high sensitivity, is free from image defects resulting from charge leaking, and is capable of stably providing high-quality images without change with elapse of time.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Junichiro Hashizume