Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Other

Tsuyoshi Ueno

Masataka Hirose

Masahiro Hosoya

Katsumi Suzuki

Hideo Mukai

Shinichi Hashimoto

Shuji Yoshizawa

Takayuki Watanabe

Yoshitsugu Nakatomi

Koichi Kinoshita

Nobutaka Wakao

Akira Sanjoh

Kouzou Matsuyama

Takaaki Konuma

An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprises a conductive substrate, a blocking layer formed on the conductive substrate, a photoconductive layer, formed on the blocking layer and a surface layer formed on the photoconductive layer. The blocking layer is formed from a microcrystalline silicon, which is made a p-type by being heavily doped with an element of Group III of the Periodic Table. The photoconductive layer is formed from an amorphous silicon which is lightly doped with an impurity element, and which is similar in properties to an intrinsic semiconductor. Rectifying contact is formed between the photoconductive layer and the blocking layer so that a depletion layer is formed by that interface toward the interior of the photoconductive layer. By so doing, it is possible to obtain a photosensitive member having a high sensitivity in the range from visible light to near-infrared light.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member

A photoconductive layer of an electrophotographic photoreceptor has a super lattice structure obtained by alternately stacking thin layers (the thickness falls within the range of 30 to 200 .ANG.) of at least two types of amorphous semiconductors having different optical band gaps. In the super lattice structure, when the layer having a narrow bandgap is sandwiched between the layers having wide bandgaps, a quantum well is formed. By the quantum effect, electrons in the well are shifted to cause high mobility of carriers. When the super lattice structure is applied to the photoconductive layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor, the number of carriers generated at the interface between the thin layers is large. In the photoconductive layer having the super lattice structure, carrier lifetime is prolonged, in the potential well layer, 5 to 10 times that in a single layer, due to the quantum size effect, as compared with that of a single layer, thereby increasing light sensitivity of the photoconductive layer.

Electrophotographic photoreceptor with super lattice structure

An amorphous silicon film forming apparatus forms an amorphous silicon film on a substrate. The apparatus is provided with a sealed vessel whose inside space is defined as a reaction chamber. A gas inlet pipe for introducing a gas containing SiH4 into the reaction chamber is connected to the vessel. A facing electrode provided in the reaction chamber and a power source connected to the facing electrode convert in a plasma generating region the gas introduced into the reaction chamber by the gas inlet pipe into plasma. A conductive mesh structure is disposed in the reaction chamber so as to surround the plasma generating region.

Amorphous silicon film forming apparatus

A method of forming an amorphous silicon film includes the steps of bringing a gas which is pre-excited by electron cyclotron resonance generated by an alternating electric field and a magnetic field into contact with a raw material gas containing silicone atoms in a reaction chamber in which a substrate is placed, so that the raw material gas is converted to radicals, and forming an amorphous silicon film on a surface of the substrate by the reaction of radicals therewith. Microwaves can be used as the alternating electric field.

Method of forming amorphous silicon film

A developing device is provided for developing by means of a toner an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum which rotates along one direction at a given speed. The developing device comprises a developing roller movably disposed at a given distance from the photosensitive drum, for causing the toner thereon to move in accordance with the movement thereof, whereby the toner thereon is supplied to the photosensitive drum by means of the surface potential of the electrostatic latent image, and a layer regulating member for regulating the amount of the toner put on the developing roller. The developing roller rotates in other direction at a speed relative to the given speed.

Developing device

An electrophotographic imaging method comprises a first process for charging an electrically insulating layer formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum, and a second process for image-exposing the charged insulating layer to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. The first process includes a first step for bringing a pliable contactor having a specific electric resistance of 10.sup.8 .OMEGA..multidot.cm in contact with the insulating layer, and a second step for impressing a voltage on the contactor in contact with the insulating layer by means of an electrode having a specific resistance lower 10.sup.5 to 10.sup.7 .OMEGA..multidot.cm. Thus the insulating layer is charged.

Imaging method using a charged insulating layer

In an electronic copier provided with a light-sensitive medium, a charging station, an exposure station, a developing station, a transfer station and a fixing unit, the charging station includes a plurality of contact charging elements in contact with the light-sensitive medium and a voltage supply means for applying voltages to the contact charging elements. A voltage continuously rising in a predetermined period of time is supplied from the voltage supply means to the contact charging elements with the rotation of light-sensitive medium, and the light-sensitive medium is thus uniformly charged.

Charging device for electronic copier

A charging device for an electronic copier including a charging belt having a characteristic resistance ranging from 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.10 .OMEGA..cm. The copier's charging belt is in contact with the photosensitive drum, and as the photosensitive drum is rotated a voltage smoothly increasing over a predetermined period of time is applied to the charging belt for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Tsuyoshi Ueno