Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Tomohito Ozawa

Kazuyoshi Akiyama

Yuu Nishimura

Daisuke Tazawa

Shigenori Ueda

Takanori Ueno

Motoya Yamada

An electrophotographic apparatus does not have a unit for maintaining a uniform surface temperature of an electrophotographic photosensitive member through its surface. The electrophotographic photosensitive member has temperature dependent characteristics and is equally divided into two regions in a cylindrical shaft direction such that absolute values of the temperature dependence of the photosensitive-member characteristics in the two regions are not the same. The electrophotographic photosensitive member is arranged so that when, among the two regions, a region which has a smaller absolute value of the temperature dependence of the photosensitive-member characteristics is defined as a first region, and a region which has a larger absolute value of the temperature dependence of the photosensitive-member characteristics is defined as a second region. The change of the surface temperature of the first region becomes larger than the change of the surface temperature of the second region when an image is formed by the electrophotographic apparatus.

Electrophotographic apparatus having having temperature dependent photosensitive member

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

In an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photoconductive layer and, provided on the photoconductive layer, a surface layer constituted of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide, the ratio of the number of atoms of carbon atoms (C) to the sum of the number of atoms of silicon atoms (Si) and number of atoms of carbon atoms (C), C/(Si+C), in the surface layer is from 0.61 or more to 0.75 or less, and the sum of atom density of the silicon atoms and atom density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.60&#xd7;10atom/cmor more.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member and electrophotographic apparatus

An electrophotographic apparatus has an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a surface layer of an amorphous silicon carbide. The ratio of the atom density (C) of carbon atoms to the sum of the atom density (Si) of silicon atoms and the atom density (C) of carbon atoms, C/(Si+C), in the surface layer is set larger from one end portion toward the other end portion of the electrophotographic photosensitive member in the direction of rotational axis thereof, and is from 0.61 or more to 0.75 or less in the entire region of the electrophotographic photosensitive member in the direction of rotational axis thereof. The electrophotographic apparatus has an air current generator which draws out air from the side of the one end portion toward the side of the other end portion.

Electrophotographic apparatus having an electrophotgraphic photosensitive member with an amorphous silicon carbide surface layer

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a photoconductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a surface layer. When Si+C atom density in the surface layer is represented by D&#xd7;10atoms/cm, the Dis 6.60 or more, and when the maximal value of H/(Si+H) in a distribution of hydrogen quantity in the photoconductive layer in a layer thickness direction is represented by H, the average value of the H/(Si+H) in the second photoconductive region is represented by H, the Dand the Hsatisfy the following expression (1) and the Dand the Hsatisfy the following expression (2).&#x2267;0.07&#xd7;&#x2212;0.38&#x2003;&#x2003;Expression (1)&#x2266;0.04&#xd7;+0.60&#x2003;&#x2003;Expression (2)

The present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a photoconductive layer, an intermediate layer made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide on the photoconductive layer, and a surface layer made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide on the intermediate layer, wherein a ratio (C/(Si+C); C2) in the surface layer is 0.61 to 0.75, and a sum of atom density of silicon and carbon is 6.60&#xd7;10atoms/cmor more, a ratio (C/(Si+C); C1) and a sum (D1) of atom density of silicon and carbon in the intermediate layer increase continuously from the photoconductive layer toward the surface layer without exceeding C2 and D2, and the intermediate layer has a continuous region in which C1 is 0.25 to C2 while D1 is 5.50&#xd7;10to 6.45&#xd7;10atoms/cm, the region being 150 nm or larger in a layer thickness direction, and an electrophotographic apparatus equipped therewith.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a substrate, a photoconductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a surface layer sequentially formed. The intermediate layer contains silicon, carbon and hydrogen, and a distribution of a hydrogen ratio, which is a ratio of the number of hydrogen atoms to the number of silicon, carbon and hydrogen atoms, in the intermediate layer has a maximum region. A largest hydrogen atomic ratio in the intermediate layer is larger than a hydrogen atomic ratio in the surface layer, and the hydrogen atomic ratio in the surface layer is 0.30 to 0.45. A distribution of a carbon atomic ratio, which is a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the number of silicon and carbon atoms, in the intermediate layer has a maximum and a minimum region. A carbon atomic ratio in the maximum region is 0.53 to 0.63, a carbon atomic ratio in the minimum region is 0.47 or more, and the maximum hydrogen region in the intermediate layer is partially superimposed on the minimum carbon region.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a photoconductive layer and, provided on the photoconductive layer, a surface layer containing a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide. A ratio of the number of carbon atoms (C) to the sum of the number of silicon atoms (Si) and number of carbon atoms (C), C/(Si+C), in the surface layer is from 0.61 or more to 0.75 or less, and the sum of atom density of the silicon atoms and atom density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.60&#xd7;10atom/cmor more.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which a photoconductive layer is an amorphous layer that contains a silicon atom as a main component, and a surface layer contains an aluminum atom, a zinc atom and an oxygen atom so as to satisfy Expression (1) and Expression (2):3.0&#x2266;100{/()}&#x2266;7.0&#x2003;&#x2003;(1), and1.05&#x2266;/(1.50)&#x2266;1.20&#x2003;&#x2003;(2),in Expression (1) and Expression (2), x represents atom % of the aluminum atom contained in the surface layer, y represents atom % of the zinc atom contained in the surface layer, and z represents atom % of the oxygen atom contained in the surface layer.

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a step of forming a first surface layer and a second surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member by supplying a source gas into a reaction vessel so that C/S, which are respectively flow rates of CHand SiHflowing when the second surface layer is formed, can be 3 or more and 25 or less, and C/S, which are respectively flow rates of CHand SiHflowing when the first surface layer is formed, can be C/Sor more but 60 or less. The method includes an additional step of adjusting the high-frequency power so that P&#x3e;Pcan be satisfied, which are high-frequency powers respectively when the second surface layer is formed and when the first surface layer is formed, and C/(Si+C) of the first surface layer and C/(Si+C) of the second surface layer can be 0.50 or more and 0.80 or less.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Tomohito Ozawa