Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Ryuji Okamura

Tetsuya Takei

Kazuyoshi Akiyama

Junichiro Hashizume

Hitoshi Murayama

Toshiyasu Shirasuna

Kazuto Hosoi

Kazuhiko Takada

Yasuyoshi Takai

Hirokazu Otoshi

Shigenori Ueda

Hirokazu Ohtoshi

Satoshi Kojima

Toshiyuki Ehara

Hironori Ohwaki

Koji Hitsuishi

Shigeru Shirai

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Hiroyuki Katagiri

Masaya Kawada

Hiroaki Niino

Tetsuya Karaki

Kunimasa Kawamura

Masaaki Yamamura

Keishi Saitoh

Takehito Yoshino

Koichi Matsuda

Hideaki Matsuoka

Takashi Ohtsuka

Masahiro Kanai

Makoto Aoki

Teruo Misumi

Hiroshi Amada

Hirokazu Ootoshi

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

For enhancing plasma uniformity and long-term stability so as to readily form a film with excellent uniformity of thickness and quality and with good repeatability and for suppressing occurrence of image defects and drastically increasing the yield to form a deposited film ready for volume production, particularly, a functional deposit film (for example, an amorphous semiconductor used for semiconductor devices, electrophotographic photosensitive members, photovoltaic devices, and so on) is formed in an apparatus including a reaction vessel which can be hermetically evacuated, a substrate holder in the reaction vessel, a source gas supply, a power supply for high-frequency power. An end covering member is provided at an end of each of the substrate holder, the source gas supply and the power supply.

Deposited film forming apparatus and deposited film forming method

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

Deposited film forming apparatus

A plasma processing method comprising the steps of arranging a substrate on a film is to be formed in a reaction chamber capable of being vacuumed and evacuating the inside of the reaction chamber in a loading stage; and separating the reaction chamber from the loading stage and joining the reaction chamber to a treating stage where the substrate arranged in the reaction chamber is subjected to plasma processing, wherein the reaction chamber is moved on a track to join to the treating stage, where a high frequency power supply system, a processing gas supply system and an exhaustion system are joined to the reaction chamber, whereby plasma is produced in the reaction chamber to conduct plasma processing on the substrate. An apparatus suitable for practicing said plasma processing method.

Plasma processing 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 film-forming method and apparatus by high frequency plasma CVD, characterized by using a specific high frequency power introduction means comprising at least an electrode for introducing a high frequency power into a deposition chamber containing a substrate therein and an insulating member which covers the electrode such that the surface of the electrode is isolated from glow discharge caused in the deposition chamber, the electrode being provided with a plurality of gas ejection holes for ejecting gas against an inner face of the insulating member, wherein the formation of a deposited film on the substrate in the deposition chamber is conducted while ejecting gas (inert gas or hydrogen gas) from the gas ejection holes of the electrode against the inner face of the insulating member.

Method for forming a deposited film by plasma chemical vapor deposition

A film-forming apparatus is provided which comprises a reaction chamber capable of being vacuumed and having a reaction space in which a plurality of substrates can be arranged on a common circumference to establish an inner space circumscribed by the plurality of substrates. A film-forming raw material gas can be introduced into the inner space. A first electrode for supplying a high frequency power into the inner space is provided at a central position in the inner space circumscribed by the plurality of substrates. A second electrode is provided outside the plurality of substrates arranged on the common circumference. A shielding member having a dielectric portion constituted by a dielectric material is provided between the second electrode and the plurality of substrates arranged on the common circumference. The shielding member substantially shields the film-forming raw material gas so that it is confined inside the shielding member and transmits a high frequency power supplied to the second electrode into the inner space.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Ryuji Okamura