Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigenori Ueda

Junichiro Hashizume

Toshiyuki Ehara

Makoto Aoki

Koji Yamazaki

Ryuji Okamura

Shinji Tsuchida

Masaya Kawada

Hitoshi Murayama

Hiroaki Niino

Tetsuya Karaki

Kunimasa Kawamura

Hironori Ohwaki

Kazuyoshi Akiyama

Yutaka Udagawa

Daisuke Tazawa

Tomohito Ozawa

Nobuyuki Kume

Nobuo Nakazawa

An image-forming method uses an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a surface layer formed of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide in which a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the sum of the number of silicon atoms and the number of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 0.61 or more and 0.75 or less, and the sum of the atomic density of the silicon atoms and the atomic density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.60&#xd7;10atoms/cmor more, and the peak wavelength of pre-exposure light is shorter than the peak wavelength of image exposure light.

Image-forming method

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

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

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.

Light-receiving member, image forming apparatus having the member, and image forming method utilizing the member

An image forming apparatus and method uses an electrophotographic photosensitive member that includes a conductive substrate. The photosensitive member has a photoconductive layer thereon formed of a non-single-crystal material mainly composed of at least silicon atoms. Charging, exposure, development and cleaning in the image forming arrangement are repeated while the photosensitive member rotates. The dynamic frictional force (unit: gf) produced when the photosensitive member surface is cleaned by a cleaning blade to remove a developer remaining on that surface is so set that its standard deviation in its change with time is 2 gf or below per 1 gf/cm of linear pressure of the cleaning blade. No melt-adhesion of toner results and durability is high enough to stably obtain images of high quality.

Image-forming apparatus and image forming method using a controlled dynamic frictional force between a cleaning blade and a photosensitive member

Light-receiving member with outer layer made by alternatively forming and etching

For achieving satisfactory electrical characteristics and high image quality without peeling, damage or abrasion in a long use term the present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member which comprises, on a conductive substrate, a photoconductive layer composed of a non-single-crystalline material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, and a surface layer composed of non-single-crystalline carbon containing at least hydrogen, wherein the surface layer has a surface roughness Rz within a range from 500 &angst; to 2000 &angst; for a reference length of 5 &mgr;m and contains at least oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine and boron atoms.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member

In an electrophotographic apparatus having a structure for scrape-cleaning a developer of an average particle diameter of 5 to 8 &mgr;m with an elastic rubber blade having a modulus of repulsion elasticity of not less than 10% nor more than 50%, by using a light receiving member having a surface layer comprised of a non-monocrystalline fluorinated carbon film in which the wear loss after copying steps of 10,000 A4-size transfer sheets is not less than 0.1 &angst; nor more than 100 &angst;, in which the dynamic hardness is within the range of 10 to 500 kgf/mm,, and in which the fluorine content is not less than 5 atomic % nor more than 50 atomic %, an electrophotographic apparatus is provided which can prevent scattering or fusion of a developer, uneven scraping of a surface layer and image smearing irrespective of the service environment conditions and also can prevent image smearing without provision of means for directly heating the light receiving member.

Electrophotographic apparatus and electrophotographic light receiving member

Exhaust system and vacuum processing apparatus

For stably obtaining high-quality images with good cleaning properties, with neither occurrence of uneven scraping of a surface layer of a light receiving member nor fusion of a toner, and without occurrence of an image defect even without provision of a heater, the wear loss of the surface layer of a non-monocrystalline hydrogenated carbon film is made not less than 1 &angst;/10,000 sheets nor more than 10 &angst;/10,000 sheets after completion of copying processes of A4-size transfer sheets, each copying process including developing an image on a light receiving member with a developer having an average grain diameter of 5 to 8 &mgr;m, then transferring the developer image onto a transfer medium, and thereafter scrape-cleaning the surface of the light receiving member with an elastic rubber blade having the hardness of not less than 70 nor more than 80.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member having surface of non-monocrystalline carbon with controlled wear loss

For providing an electrophotographic photosensitive member that can always maintain good images without occurrence of fusion of toner, independent of the circumstances and the combination of urging pressure of a cleaner, process speed, components contained in toner, etc. and that can always maintain good images of high resolution and even density without occurrence of uneven shaving against a cleaning system or toner, the outermost surface thereof is comprised of a non-monocrystalline carbon film comprising hydrogen and having a dynamic hardness not less than 300 kgf/mm.sup.2 nor more than 1300 kgf/mm.sup.2 measured using a diamond stylus of a triangular pyramid having a tip of a radius not more than 0.1 .mu.m and an edge-to-edge angle of 115.degree., or the outermost surface thereof is comprised of a non-monocrystalline carbon film comprising hydrogen and having a critical load at rupture of the film not less than 50 mN and not more than 700 mN measured when exerting a load on a diamond stylus having a tip of a radius not more than 15 .mu.m while moving the stylus at an amplitude of 20 to 100 .mu.m, an oscillation frequency of 30 Hz, and a feed rate of 2 to 20 .mu.m/sec.

With a plasma being generated between a cathode electrode to which a high-frequency power is applied and an electrically conductive substrate opposed to the electrode in a reaction vessel the pressure of which can be reduced, a photoconductive layer having the matrix of silicon atoms is deposited on a substrate to be processed, a surface layer comprised of non-monocrystal carbon containing hydrogen is provided on the photoconductive layer, a surface of the surface layer is etched to fluorinate the surface, the surface roughness Rz by etching is controlled below 1000 .ANG., the fluorine contained in the surface layer is made present within 50 .ANG. from the surface, and the concentration of fluorine to carbon in that region is 20% or more, thereby providing a photosensitive member for electrophotography that can obtain high-quality images free of image faintness and image smearing without using a heating means for the photosensitive member, that has high durability, that shows less change in potential characteristics, that can obtain high-quality images on a stable basis, and that is free of the ghost phenomenon and providing a fabrication process of the photosensitive member.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Shigenori Ueda