JPS6256968A - Photoreceptive member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a photoreceptive member of which electrical, optical and photoconductive characteristics do not depend on use environment by depositing a photosensitive layer consisting of a-Si on a base on which very small and smooth ruggedness is formed and coating said layer with a surface layer cong. oxygen atoms. carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms. CONSTITUTION:The photosensitive layer 102 consisting of a-Si is deposited on the base 101 on which the very small and smooth ruggedness is provided and which has electrical conductivity or electrical insulating characteristic. The surface layer 103 is deposited thereon and the surface thereof is formed as a free surface 104. The pitch of the recesses is selected at 1-200mum and the max. depth thereof at 0.3-3mum in order to prevent the generation of interference fringe patterns with such constitution. The photosensitive layer 102 is constituted of the a-Si contg. halogen atoms including any of the oxygen atoms, carbon atoms or nitrogen atoms and the surface layer 103 is also constituted of the similar a-Si to decrease the reflection of the incident light to the free surface 104. The generation of the interference fringes is thus obviated even after long-term repeated use and the photosensitive member having high resolution is obtd.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to the use of light (here, light in a broad sense, such as ultraviolet rays, visible light,
It relates to a light-receiving member that is sensitive to electromagnetic waves such as infrared rays, X-rays, gamma rays, etc.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a light receiving member suitable for using coherent light such as laser light.

[Description of prior art]

As a method for recording digital image information as an image, an electrostatic latent image is formed by optically scanning a light-receiving member with a laser beam modulated according to the digital image information, and then the latent image is developed. Furthermore, there are known methods of recording images by performing processes such as transfer and fixing as necessary.Among these, in image forming methods using electrophotography, small and inexpensive He-Ne lasers or semiconductor lasers are used as lasers. (usually having an emission wavelength of 650 to 820 nm) is commonly used to perform image recording.

By the way, as a light-receiving member for electrophotography suitable when using a semiconductor laser, in addition to being superior in consistency of its photosensitivity region compared to other types of light-receiving members,
Amorphous materials containing silicon atoms, such as those found in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-83746 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-83746, are evaluated for their high Vickers degree and low pollution problems. Material (hereinafter abbreviated as "a-8iJ")
A light-receiving member consisting of is attracting attention.

However, in the light-receiving member, if the light-receiving layer is a single-layer a-8i layer, in order to maintain its high photosensitivity and ensure a dark resistance of 1012 Ωm or more required for electrophotography, It is necessary to structurally contain hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, or boron atoms in addition to these in a specific amount range in a controlled manner in the layer, so various conditions must be strictly controlled during layer formation. There are considerable limitations on the design tolerances of the light-receiving member, such as the need to control the Proposals have been made to improve such design tolerance problems by making it possible to effectively utilize the high light sensitivity even if the dark resistance is low to some extent. That is, for example, JP-A-54-121743 □, JP-A-57-4053, JP-A-5
As seen in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-4172, the photoreceptive layer may have a layer structure of two or more layers having different conductivity characteristics, and a depletion layer may be formed inside the photoreceptor layer, or No. 52178, No. 52179, No. 52180
No. 58159, No. 58160, and No. 58161 (a multilayer film in which a barrier layer is provided between the C support and the photoreceptive layer or/and on the upper surface of the photoreceptive layer).
□A light-receiving member with an increased apparent dark resistance has been proposed.

However, in such a light-receiving member whose light-receiving layer has a multilayer structure, the thickness of each layer varies, and when performing norther recording using this, the laser beam is coherent monochromatic light, so the light-receiving layer The free surface on the laser beam irradiation side, each layer constituting the photoreceptive layer, and the layer interface between the support and the photoreceptor layer
From now on, the term "free surface" and "layer interface" will be used together.
It is called "interface". ) The reflected light beams that are reflected from each other often cause interference.

This interference phenomenon causes the so-called,
This appears as an interference fringe pattern and causes image defects. Particularly when forming a half-tone image with high gradation, a positive image with extremely poor distinguishability is produced.

Another important point is that as the wavelength range of the semiconductor laser light used becomes longer, the absorption of the laser light in the photoreceptive layer decreases, so there is a problem that the above-mentioned interference phenomenon becomes more noticeable. .

This point will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 shows the light weight 0 incident on a certain layer constituting the light-receiving layer of the light-receiving member, the reflected light R1 reflected at the upper interface 602,
Reflected light R2 reflected at the lower interface 601 is shown.

If the average layer thickness of a layer is d, the refractive index is n1, and the wavelength of light is λ, then if the layer thickness of a certain layer is uneven with a layer thickness difference of more than λ, the reflection Depending on whether the lights R1 and R2 meet the following conditions: 2nd=mλ (m is an integer, the reflected lights strengthen each other) or 2nd=(m+2)λ (rn is an integer, the reflected lights weaken each other). A change occurs in the amount of absorbed light and the amount of transmitted light. That is,
When the light-receiving member is composed of two or more layers (multilayers) as shown in FIG. 7, the interference effect shown in FIG. The state shown in Figure 7 is reached, and as a result, each interference acts synergistically to form an interference fringe pattern, which directly affects the numbering of the transfer part, and the interference pattern appears on the member. There is a problem in that interference fringes corresponding to the striped pattern appear in the visible image that is transferred and fixed, resulting in a defective image.

As a measure to solve this problem, (a) the surface of the support is diamond-cut to provide unevenness of ±500X to ±10,000X to form a light-scattering surface (for example, JP-A-58
(b) A method of providing a light absorption layer by treating the surface of the aluminum support with black alumite or dispersing carbon, coloring pigments, or dyes in a resin (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 162975) (c) A method of providing a light-scattering anti-reflection layer on the surface of an aluminum support by subjecting the surface of the aluminum support to satin-like alumite treatment or by sandblasting to provide fine grain-like irregularities. (For example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-16554)
etc. have been proposed. Although these proposed methods provide some results, they are not sufficient to completely eliminate the interference fringe pattern that appears on images.

That is, in the method (a), a large number of irregularities of a specific size are provided on the surface of the support, and although this prevents the appearance of interference fringes due to the light scattering effect to some extent,
As for light scattering, the specularly reflected light component still remains, so in addition to the interference fringe pattern caused by the specularly reflected light remaining, the irradiation spot spreads due to the light scattering effect on the support surface, causing substantial This results in a significant decrease in resolution.

Regarding method (b), complete absorption is not possible with black alumite treatment, and the reflected light on the support surface remains. In addition, when providing a colored pigment dispersed resin layer,
When forming the a-3i layer, a degassing phenomenon occurs from the resin layer, and the layer quality of the formed photoreceptive layer is significantly reduced;
The resin layer is damaged by the plasma during the formation of the a-8i layer, reducing its original absorption function, and the subsequent formation of the a-8i layer is adversely affected due to deterioration of the surface condition. have

Regarding the method (c), as shown in FIG. The light enters the layer 802 and becomes the transmitted light 1. The transmitted light weight 1 is the support 8
On the surface of 01, part of it is scattered and becomes diffused light, K2, K3, etc., the rest is specularly reflected and becomes reflected light R2, and part of it becomes emitted light R3. However, since the emitted light is a component that interferes with the reflected light R1 and remains in any case, the interference fringe pattern still does not disappear completely.

By the way, in order to prevent interference in this case, some attempts have been made to increase the diffusivity of the surface of the support 801 so that multiple reflections do not occur inside the light-receiving layer, but in such a case, on the contrary, the light-receiving layer The light diffuses and causes halation, which ultimately reduces resolution.

In particular, in a multilayered light-receiving member, even if the surface of the support 901 is irregularly roughened, as shown in FIG.
Reflected light R2 on the surface of layer 902, reflected light R on the second layer
1. Each of the specularly reflected lights on the surface of the support 901 interferes,
An interference fringe pattern is produced depending on the thickness of each layer of the light-receiving member.

Therefore, in a light receiving member having a multilayer structure, the support 90
It is impossible to completely prevent interference fringes by irregularly roughening one surface.

Furthermore, when the surface of the support is irregularly roughened by a method such as Sun-P blasting, the degree of roughness varies widely between lots, and even within the same lot. Therefore, there is a problem in manufacturing control. In addition, relatively large protrusions are often formed randomly, and such large protrusions cause local breakdown of the photoreceptive layer.

Furthermore, when the surface of the support is simply roughened regularly, as shown in FIG.
Since the light-receiving layer 1002 is deposited along the direction 003, the uneven slope surface of the support 1001 and the light-receiving layer 1002 (lD
It becomes parallel to the uneven slope surface as shown in 2>E 1003', 1oo4'.

Therefore, in that part, the incident light has a relationship of 2n4=mλ or 2nd=(m0%)λ, and becomes a bright part or a dark part, respectively. In addition, in the entire photoreceptive layer, the maximum of the differences between the layer thicknesses d1, d2, d3, and d of the photoreceptive layer is 2.
Due to the non-uniformity of the layer thickness as described above, a light and dark striped pattern appears.

Therefore, simply by regularly roughening the surface of the support 1001, it is not possible to completely prevent the occurrence of interference fringes.

Furthermore, even when a multilayered light-receiving layer is deposited on a support whose surface is regularly roughened, regular reflection on the surface of the support as explained in connection with the single-layered light-receiving member shown in FIG. In addition to the interference between the light and the reflected light on the surface of the light-receiving layer, there is also interference due to the reflected light at the interface between each layer, so the degree of interference fringe pattern expression becomes more complicated than that of a single-layered light-receiving member.

Furthermore, the problem of interference caused by reflected light in such a multilayered light-receiving member is largely related to its surface layer. That is, as is clear from the above, if the thickness of the surface layer is not uniform, an interference phenomenon will occur due to reflected light at the interface between the surface layer and the photosensitive layer in contact with it, causing damage to the light receiving member. It impairs function.

By the way, the state in which the layer thickness of the surface layer is non-uniform is not only suppressed during the formation of the surface layer, but also caused by abrasion, particularly partial abrasion, during use of the light-receiving member. Particularly in the latter case, as described above, not only interference patterns may appear, but also sensitivity changes, sensitivity unevenness, etc. of the entire light-receiving member may occur.

Attempts have been made to make the surface layer as thick as possible in order to eliminate these surface layer-related problems, but in this case, in addition to creating a factor that increases the residual potential, On the contrary, the layer thickness unevenness increases, and a light-receiving member having such a surface layer causes problems such as sensitivity changes and sensitivity unevenness even at the time of its formation.
□It has a factor of □, and if it were used, it would give an initial image that is not worth adopting.

[Purpose of the invention]

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned problems and to provide a light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer mainly composed of a-8i, which satisfies various demands.

In other words, the main object of the present invention is to have electrical, optical, and photoconductive properties that are virtually always stable, almost independent of the usage environment, resistant to light fatigue, and resistant to deterioration even after repeated use. To provide a light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer made of a-8i, which has excellent durability and moisture resistance, has no or almost no residual potential, and is easy to manage in production. be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer made of a-8i, which has high sensitivity to light in the entire visible light range, has excellent matching properties with semiconductor lasers, and has a fast photoresponse. Our goal is to provide the following.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer composed of a"si, which has high photosensitivity, high 81J ratio characteristics, and high electrical voltage resistance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide excellent adhesion between a layer provided on a support and the support and between each laminated layer, a dense and stable structural arrangement, and a quality layer. high, a
An object of the present invention is to provide a light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer made of -Si.

Still another object of the present invention is to be suitable for image formation using coherent monochromatic light, to be free of interference fringes and spots during reversal development even after repeated use over a long period of time, and to be free from image defects and image formation. To provide a light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer made of a-8i, capable of obtaining a high-quality image with no blur, high density, clear halftones, and high resolution. It is in.

[Structure of the invention]

The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive research to overcome the aforementioned problems with conventional light-receiving members and achieve the above-mentioned purpose, and as a result, they have obtained the above-mentioned knowledge, and based on this knowledge, they have invented the present invention. I was able to complete it.

That is, the present invention provides a photosensitive layer made of an amorphous material having silicon atoms as a matrix on a support, and containing silicon atoms and at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms. A light-receiving member is provided with a light-receiving layer having a surface layer made of an amorphous material, wherein the optical/send gap is matched at the interface between the photosensitive layer and the surface layer, and the surface layer is made of an amorphous material. The photoreceptive layer has at least one pair of non-parallel interfaces within a short range, a large number of the non-parallel interfaces are arranged in at least one direction in a plane perpendicular to the layer thickness direction, and the non-parallel interfaces are arranged in the arrangement direction. The present invention relates to a light-receiving member in which each member is connected smoothly.

By the way, the findings obtained by the present inventors as a result of extensive research are summarized below.

That is, in a light-receiving member equipped with a light-receiving layer having a surface layer and a photosensitive layer on a support, the optical band gap of the surface layer and the surface When the layer is configured so that the optical send gap of the photosensitive layer on which it is directly provided matches, reflection of incident light at the interface between the surface layer and the photosensitive layer is prevented, and layer thickness unevenness during the formation of the surface layer is prevented. Or/and the problems of interference patterns and sensitivity unevenness caused by layer thickness unevenness due to wear of the surface layer are eliminated.

In addition, the resolving power required for the light-receiving member is improved by forming minute irregularities on the surface of the support, and in a minute portion within one period of the irregularities (hereinafter referred to as "short range"). When having at least one pair of non-parallel interfaces, a large number of the non-parallel interfaces are arranged in at least one direction in a plane perpendicular to the layer thickness direction, and the non-parallel interfaces are each smoothly connected in the arrangement direction. , the problem of interference patterns that appear during image formation can be solved, and in that case, the longitudinal shape of the smooth uneven convex portions provided on the surface of the support can be controlled by controlling the layer thickness of each layer formed within a short range. A sinusoidal shape is desirable to ensure non-uniformity, good adhesion between the support and the layer applied directly on the support, or even the desired electrical contact. It is something.

By the way, the latter finding is based on facts obtained through various experiments conducted by the present inventors.

This will be explained below using drawings to facilitate understanding.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the layer structure of a light-receiving member according to the present invention, in which a photosensitive layer 102 and a surface are formed on a support having minute and smooth unevenness along the slope of the unevenness. 1 shows a light-receiving member comprising a layer 103.

FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining how the problem of interference fringes is solved in the light receiving member of the present invention. FIG. 2(A) is an enlarged view of a part of the light-receiving member having the above structure, and FIG. 2(B) is a view showing the brightness of the same portion. In the figure, 202 is a photosensitive layer, 203 is a surface layer, 204 is a free surface, and 205 is a part of the interface between the photosensitive layer and the surface layer. As shown in FIG. 2(A), the layer thickness of the surface layer 203 is d2 within the short range l.
The free surface 2 changes continuously from 1 to 422.
04 and the interface 205 have different inclinations from each other. Therefore, coherent light such as a laser beam incident on the short range j causes interference in the short range l, producing a minute interference fringe pattern. However, interference fringes occurring within the short range do not appear in the image because the size of the short range l is smaller than the irradiation light spot diameter, that is, smaller than the resolution limit. Although it is unlikely, even if a situation were to appear in an image, it would be below the resolution of the naked eye, so there would be no substantial problem.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 (in the figure, 302 is the photosensitive layer, 303 is the surface layer, 304 is the free surface, and 305 is the interface between the photosensitive layer and the surface layer), the photosensitive layer 302 and the surface The interface 305 with the layer 303 and the free surface 304 are the third (A
) When they are non-parallel as shown in the figure, the reflected light R1 and the emitted light & with respect to the incident light amount 0 have different traveling directions, so the interface 305 and the free surface 3 are separated as shown in Fig. 3(B).
04 are parallel, the degree of interference is reduced. In other words, even if interference occurs, the degree of interference is smaller when the pair of interfaces are in a non-parallel relationship than when the pair of interfaces are in a parallel relationship, as shown in Figure 3(C). Therefore, the difference in brightness of the interference fringe pattern is negligibly small, and as a result, the amount of incident light is averaged.

This means that the surface layer 203
If the layer thickness is macroscopically nonuniform, that is, the layer thickness d23 at two different arbitrary positions,
The same is true even when 3=+dz4, and the amount of light incident on the entire layer region is uniform as shown in FIG. 2(D).

The case where the photosensitive layer and the surface layer are laminated on the support has been described above, but when the photosensitive layer of the light receiving member of the present invention has a multilayer structure, for example, as shown in FIG. Even when the photosensitive layer 402 consisting of two constituent layers 402' and 402'' and the surface layer 403 are laminated on the support 401, the reflected light R1 and
R2, R3, R4 and present are present, but 402', 4
In each of the layers 02'' and 403, a phenomenon occurs in which the amount of incident light is averaged as explained in FIG.

Moreover, the interface of each layer in the Jotren:)l acts as a kind of slit, causing diffraction phenomena there. Therefore, interference in each layer appears as a product of interference due to the difference in layer thickness and interference due to diffraction at the layer interface.

Therefore, when considering the entire photoreceptive layer, interference is a synergistic effect in each layer, so in the photoreceptive member of the present invention, as the number of eyebrows constituting the photoreceptive layer increases, the interference becomes more severe. influence can be prevented.

Based on the above experimentally confirmed facts, the support for the light receiving member of the present invention having the above-described structure has a surface that has minute irregularities that exceed the resolving power required for the light receiving member. The unevenness is smooth, and preferably the smooth unevenness is formed by linear protrusions having a sinusoidal function.

The use of a support having such a surface shape allows the light that has passed through the photoreceptive layer to interfere with the photoreceptive member on which the photoreceptive layer is formed and is reflected on the surface of the support, resulting in an image being formed. This effectively prevents striped patterns and leads to the formation of excellent images.

Regarding the surface of the support of the light-receiving member of the present invention.

A suitable size l of one period of the concavo-convex shape needs to satisfy the relationship l≦B, where L is the spot diameter of the irradiation light.

Further, the light-receiving layer of the light-receiving member of the present invention is composed of a photosensitive layer and a surface layer, and the photosensitive layer is made of an amorphous material having silicon atoms as a matrix, particularly preferably silicon atoms (Sl).
) and at least one of a hydrogen atom (H) or a hydrogen atom (X) [hereinafter referred to as 1-a
-sl(a,x)j. ], or a-sl (a, x) containing at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms, and the second layer further has conductivity. It is preferable to contain a substance that controls this. The second layer may have a multilayer structure, and particularly preferably a charge injection blocking layer containing a substance controlling the conductivity and/or a so-called barrier layer made of an electrically insulating material. as one of the constituent layers.

Further, the surface layer is made of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms and at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms, particularly preferably silicon atoms (S
l), at least one type selected from oxygen atom (0), carbon atom (0) and nitrogen atom (N), and hydrogen atom (
Amorphous material containing at least one of H) and a norogen atom (X) [hereinafter referred to as "a-sl(
o, c, N) (a + x) j. ].

In the light-receiving member of the present invention, the support having the above-described surface shape and the light-receiving layer formed on the support are closely related. That is, the light-receiving member of the present invention has a photosensitive layer and a surface layer laminated on a support, and the photosensitive layer further includes a photosensitive layer as described in detail later. Forming a localized region containing a relatively large amount of a substance that controls conductivity (i.e., a charge injection blocking layer) at the end of the photosensitive layer on the support side; and/or forming a barrier layer at the end of the photosensitive layer on the support side. The light-receiving member of the present invention having such constituent layers has a plurality of interfaces formed by a plurality of layers on the support. At least one pair of non-parallel interfaces is made to exist within the layer thickness of the jaw train:)l (hereinafter referred to as "microcolumn").

In order to more effectively achieve the object of the present invention, the difference in layer thickness in the microcolumn, the difference between (121 and d22 in FIG. 2(a) mentioned above, is expressed as follows, assuming that the wavelength of the irradiated light is λ) It is desirable to satisfy the following formula: (121d22≧-!(n: refractive index of the photoreceptive layer) n.The upper limit of the difference in layer thickness is preferably 0.1 μm to 2 μm, more preferably 0.
．． It is desirable that the thickness be 1 μm to 1.5 μm, most preferably 0.2 μm to 1 μm.

As mentioned above, in the light-receiving member of the present invention, the layer thickness of each layer is controlled so that at least any two interfaces are in a non-parallel relationship within the short range l, but as long as this condition is satisfied. , there may be interfaces in a parallel relationship. However, in that case, take any two positions of the parallel interfaces, let the difference in layer thickness at those positions be △l, let the wavelength of the irradiated light be λ, and let the refractive index of the layer be n. In this case, it is desirable to form the layer or layer region so as to satisfy the following equation:

Regarding the production of the photoreceptive layer of the present invention, in order to efficiently achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, it is necessary to control the layer thickness at an optical level. Vacuum deposition methods such as the brating method are usually adopted, but in addition to these methods, photo-CVD methods and thermal CVD methods are also used.
Laws, etc. may also be adopted.

Hereinafter, the specific structure of the light receiving member of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the layer structure of the light-receiving member of the present invention, in which 100 is the light-receiving member, 101 is the support, 102 is the photosensitive layer, 103 is the surface layer, 104 represents the free surface.

Support The support 101 in the light-receiving member of the present invention has smooth irregularities on its surface that are smaller than the resolution required for the light-receiving member, and preferably the smooth irregularities are in the shape of a sinusoidal function. It is formed by protrusions.

The smooth unevenness provided on the surface of the support has an arc-shaped cutting edge. 7 Fix the mite in a predetermined position on a cutting machine such as a rice machine or lathe, and for example, design the cylindrical support in advance according to your wishes. By regularly moving the support in a predetermined direction while rotating it according to a programmed program, the surface of the support is accurately cut to form a desired smooth uneven shape, pitch, and depth. The sinusoidal linear protrusion created by the unevenness formed by such a cutting method has a helical structure centered on the central axis of the cylindrical support. An example of such a structure is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, L is the length of the support, r is the diameter of the support, P is the helical pitch, and D is the depth of the groove.

The helical structure of the sinusoidal expansion protrusion may be a double or triple helical structure, or a crossed helical structure.

Alternatively, a linear structure along the central axis may be introduced in addition to the spiral structure.

In the present invention, the dimensions of the irregularities provided on the surface of the support in a controlled manner are set in such a way that the object of the present invention can be achieved as a result, taking into account the following points.

That is, firstly, the a-8i layer constituting the photoreceptive layer is structurally sensitive to the condition of the surface on which the layer is formed, and the layer quality changes greatly depending on the surface condition.

Therefore, it is necessary to set the dimensions of the irregularities provided on the surface of the support so as not to cause deterioration in the layer quality of the a-8i layer.

Second, if the free surface of the photoreceptive layer has extreme irregularities,
Cleaning cannot be performed completely after image formation.

Further, when cleaning the blade, there is a problem that the blade becomes damaged quickly.

After considering the above-mentioned problems in layer deposition, process problems in electrophotography, and conditions for preventing interference fringes, we found that:
The pitch of the recesses on the surface of the support is preferably 0.3 μm to
The thickness is preferably 1 to 200 μm, most preferably 5 μm.

Further, the maximum depth of the recess is preferably 0.1 μm to 5 μm.
, preferably 0.3 μm to 3 μm, optimally 0.6 μm
It is desirable that the thickness be from μm to 2 μm. If the pitch and maximum depth of the recesses on the surface of the support are within the above range □,
The inclination of the slope of the recess (or linear protrusion) is preferably 1 degree to 1 degree, preferably 3 degrees to 15 degrees, most preferably 4 degrees.
It is desirable to set it to 10 degrees.

The support 101 used in the present invention may be electrically conductive or electrically insulating. As the conductive support, for example, Nl0r, stainless steel, AJ%
'Or, Mo, Au, Nb, Ta, V.

Examples include metals such as T1, pt, pb, and alloys thereof.

Examples of the electrically insulating support include films or sheets of synthetic resins such as polyester, polyethylene-polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyamide, glass, ceramic, paper, and the like. It is preferable that at least one surface of these electrically insulating supports is conductively treated, and a light-receiving layer is provided on the conductively treated surface side.

For example, if it is glass, NiCr is applied to its surface.

AI, Or%Mo, Au, Or%Mo, Nb, Ta,
V, Ti, Pt.

Pd, Eng n203.5n02, ■To (In203
+5n02) etc., or if it is a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film, Ni0r, AA',
Ag, Pb, Zn, Ni, Au, C! r, M
A thin film of metal such as O1Ir%Nb, Ta, V, TI, Pt, etc. is provided on the surface by vacuum evaporation, electron beam evaporation, SQ tuttering, etc., or the surface is laminated with the above metal. Provides conductivity. The shape of the support can be any shape such as a cylinder, a belt, a plate, etc., and the shape can be determined as appropriate depending on the purpose and desire. For example, if the light-receiving member 100 shown in FIG. 1 is used as an electrophotographic image forming member, it is preferable to use an endless belt or a cylindrical shape for continuous high-speed copying.

Yes. The thickness of the support is appropriately determined so as to form a desired light-receiving member, but if flexibility is required as a light-receiving member, the thickness should be determined within a range that allows the support to fully perform its function. It can be made as thin as possible. However, from the viewpoint of manufacturing and handling of the support, mechanical strength, etc., the thickness is usually set to 10μ or more.

Photosensitive layer In the light-receiving member of the present invention, the photosensitive layer 102 is provided on the above-mentioned support 101, and is a-81 (
a-8i containing at least one selected from H, RI, oxygen atoms, carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms; It is something.

The halogen atom (X) contained in the photosensitive layer is as follows:
Specific examples include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, with fluorine and chlorine being particularly preferred. Hydrogen atoms (H) contained in the photosensitive layer 102
or the amount of hydrogen atoms (X) or the sum of the amounts of hydrogen atoms and hydrogen atoms (H+X) is usually 1 to 40.
atomic%, preferably 5-30 atomic%
It is desirable that this is done.

Furthermore, in the light-receiving member of the present invention, the layer thickness of the photosensitive layer is
This is one of the important factors to efficiently achieve the object of the present invention, and it is necessary to pay sufficient attention when designing the light-receiving member so that the desired characteristics are imparted to the light-receiving member. It is usually 1 to 100μ, preferably 1 to 80μ.
μ, more preferably 2 to 50 μ.

By the way, the photosensitive layer of the light receiving member of the present invention contains oxygen atoms,
The purpose of containing at least one kind selected from carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms is mainly to increase the photosensitivity and dark resistance of the light-receiving member, and to improve the adhesion between the support and the photosensitive layer. It is in.

In the photosensitive layer of the present invention, when at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms is contained, it is contained in a uniformly distributed state in the layer thickness direction, or in a non-uniformly distributed state in the layer thickness direction. Whether to contain it in a distributed state is
It varies depending on the above-mentioned objectives and expected effects, and accordingly, the amount to be included also varies.

That is, when the purpose is to increase the photosensitivity and dark resistance of a light-receiving member, carbon atoms and oxygen atoms contained in the photosensitive layer are contained in a uniform distribution over the entire layer area of the photosensitive layer. The amount of at least one selected from nitrogen atoms and nitrogen atoms may be relatively small.

In addition, when the purpose is to improve the adhesion between the support and the photosensitive layer, it may be contained uniformly in a part of the layer area at the support side end of the photosensitive layer, or it may be added to the support side end of the photosensitive layer. In this case, at least one selected from carbon atoms, oxygen atoms, and nitrogen atoms is contained in a distribution state such that the distribution concentration thereof is high; in this case, the oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms to be contained in the photosensitive layer are The amount of at least one selected from among these is set to a relatively large amount in order to ensure improved adhesion to the support.

In the light-receiving member of the present invention, the amount of at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms to be contained in the photosensitive layer may be determined by considering the characteristics required for the photosensitive layer as described above. It is determined by taking into account organic relationships such as the characteristics at the contact interface with the support, and is usually 0.001 to 50 atomic%.
, preferably 0.002 to 40 atomic %, optimally 0.003 to 30 atomic %.

By the way, if it is contained in the entire layer area of the photosensitive layer, or if the ratio of the layer thickness of a part of the layer area to which it is contained is large in the layer thickness of the photosensitive layer, the above-mentioned upper limit of the amount to be included may be reduced. be made into That is, in that case, for example, when the layer thickness of the layer region to be contained is - of the layer thickness of the photosensitive layer, the amount to be contained is usually between atoms.
c % or less, preferably 20 atomic % or less,
Optimally, it is set to 10 atomic % or less.

Next, the amount of at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nine atoms to be contained in the photosensitive layer of the present invention is relatively large on the support side, and from the edge of the support side to the surface. A typical example of the distribution is such that it decreases toward the edge of the layer side and becomes a relatively small amount or substantially close to zero near the edge of the surface layer side of the photosensitive layer. Some of them will be explained with reference to FIGS. 11 to 19. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Hereinafter, at least one type selected from carbon atoms, oxygen atoms, and nitrogen atoms will be referred to as "atoms (0, C!,
N) Written as j.

In Figures 11 to 19, the horizontal axis is atoms ("+c+N)
The vertical axis shows the layer thickness of the photosensitive layer, tB shows the position of the interface between the support and the photosensitive layer, and tT shows the position of the interface with the surface layer of the photosensitive layer.

Figure 11 shows atoms (0, c, N) contained in the photosensitive layer.
) shows the first typical example of the distribution state in the layer thickness direction.

In this example, atoms (OIC
! The distribution concentration C of the atoms (0TCe) takes a constant value of 01 from the position t1 to the interface position tT with the surface layer.
The distribution concentration C of atoms (N) decreases continuously from the concentration C8, and the distribution concentration of atoms (0,0IN) becomes 0 at position tT.
It becomes 3.

In another typical example shown in FIG. 12, the distribution concentration C of atoms (0, C, N) contained in the photosensitive layer is at the position tB
The density decreases continuously from c4 to position tT, and reaches c5 at position tT.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, the distribution concentration C of atoms (o, c, N) maintains a constant value of concentration C6 from position tB to position t2, and from position Rt2 to position t7, the distribution concentration C of atoms (o, c, N) maintains a constant value of concentration C6.
The distributed concentration C of atoms (0, C9N) gradually and continuously decreases from the concentration C゜, and at the position tT, the distributed concentration C of atoms (oratN) becomes substantially zero.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the distribution concentration C of atoms (o, c, N) gradually decreases continuously from the concentration C8 from position tB to position tT, and at position tT, the distribution concentration C of atoms (0, c, N) gradually decreases from the concentration C8.
The distribution concentration C of C2N) becomes substantially zero.

In the example shown in FIG. 15, the distribution concentration C of atoms (o, c, N) is constant at a concentration C9 from position tB to multi-position t3, and from position t3 to position t. teeth,
The concentration decreases in a negative order number from the concentration C9 to the concentration C1o.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, the distribution concentration C of atoms (0, C!, N) is at a constant value of concentration C□ from position fitB to multiple positions t and VC, and from position t4 to multiple positions tT. The concentration decreases linearly from C12 to C13.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the distributed concentration C of atoms (O, C, N) decreases linearly from the concentration C14 to substantially zero from the position tB to the position tTVC.

In the example shown in FIG. 18, the distribution concentration C of atoms (o, c, N) decreases linearly from the concentration C□5 to the concentration ('16) from position tB to position t5, and t
5 to position tT, the concentration C16 is kept constant.

Finally, in the example shown in FIG. 19, the distribution concentration C of atoms (0, C, N) is concentrated e C! at position tB. 1? From position t5 to position t6, the concentration decreases slowly from c1'y at first, rapidly decreases near position RtG, and reaches the concentration 018 at position t. Next, it is
a to position 1. The concentration decreases rapidly at first, then slowly decreases until the concentration C reaches the point t7.
Engineering, becomes. Furthermore, position 1. and the position t8, it gradually decreases very slowly and reaches the concentration C20 at the position t8. Furthermore, from position t8 to position t7, the concentration gradually decreases from c20 to substantially zero.

As in the examples shown in FIGS. 11 to 19, there is a portion with a high distribution concentration C of atoms (0, C9N) at the end of the photosensitive layer on the support side, and at the end of the photosensitive layer on the surface layer side. If the distribution concentration C has a considerably low portion or a portion with a concentration substantially close to zero, atoms (0, C, N) are present at the end of the photosensitive layer on the support side. By providing a localized region with a relatively high distribution concentration, preferably by providing the localized region within 5μ from the interface position tB between the support surface and the photosensitive layer, the support and the photosensitive layer are The adhesion between the layers can be improved even more efficiently.

The localized region may be the entire partial layer region at the support side end of the photosensitive layer containing atoms (OsC+N),
Alternatively, it may be a part of it, and which one to use is determined as appropriate depending on the characteristics required of the photosensitive layer to be formed.

The amount of atoms (0, C2N) contained in the localized region is such that the maximum value of the molecular concentration C of atoms (0tCt") is 500 a
tomic ppm or more, preferably 800 atoms
ic ppm or more, optimally 1000 atomic
It is desirable to have a distribution state in which the amount is ppm or more.

Further, in the light-receiving member of the present invention, the photosensitive layer may contain a substance for controlling conductivity in the entire layer region or in a part of the layer region in a uniform or non-uniform distribution state.

Examples of the substance that controls conductivity include so-called impurities in the semiconductor field, which are atoms belonging to group Ⅰ of the periodic table (hereinafter simply referred to as ``group Ⅰ'') that give P-type conductivity.
"group atoms". ), or atoms belonging to Group V of the periodic table (hereinafter referred to as "Group V atoms") that provide n-type conductivity are used. Specifically, as group Ⅰ atoms,
B (boron), Al (aluminum), Ga (gallium)
, In (indium), Tl (thallium), etc., but particularly preferred are B and Ga.

Group V atoms include P (next), As (arsenic),
Examples include sb (antimony), Bl (bismane), and particularly preferred are p and sb.

When a group II atom or a group V atom, which is a substance that controls conductivity, is contained in the photosensitive layer of the present invention, whether it is contained in the entire layer region or in a part of the layer region will be described later. As such, the amount to be included will vary depending on the purpose or expected effect.

That is, when the main purpose is to control the conductivity type and/or conductivity of the photosensitive layer, it is contained in the entire layer area of the photosensitive layer. The amount may be relatively small, usually I
IX103ato103ato, preferably 5X10-"#5XIO"atomic ppm,
Optimally I x 10-” to 2 x 10” atoms
icppm.

In addition, the Group Ⅰ atoms or the Group V atoms may be contained in a uniform distribution state in one region in contact with the support, or the distribution concentration of the Group Ⅰ atoms or the Group V atoms in the layer thickness direction may be In the case where they are contained in a high concentration on the side in contact with the support, a part of the layer region containing such Group I atoms or Group V atoms or a region containing them in high concentration is used as a charge injection blocking layer. It becomes a functioning place. That is, when the group Ⅰ atoms are contained, when the free surface of the photoreceptive layer is subjected to the polar M electrolysis treatment, the movement of electrons injected from the support side into the photoreceptor layer becomes more efficient. In addition, when Group V atoms are contained, when the free surface of the photoreceptive layer is charged to e-polarity, it is injected into the photoreceptor layer from the support side. The movement of holes can be more efficiently prevented.

The content in this case is relatively large. Specifically, generally 30 to 5
pm, preferably 50 to I x 10' at
omicppm w Optimal IX 102~5X
10" atomic ppm.In order to efficiently exhibit this effect, the layer thickness of some layer regions or layer regions containing high concentration should be t, and the thickness of the other photosensitive layers should be 10". t., then t/t +t0≦0.
It is desirable that the relational expression 4 holds true, and more preferably the value of the relational expression is 0.35 or less, most preferably 0.3 or less. In addition, the layer thickness of the layer region is
It is generally 3 x 10''3 to 1011, preferably 4 x 10'' to 8μ, most preferably 5 x 1o to 5μ.

Next, the amount of Group Ⅰ atoms or Group V atoms contained in the photosensitive layer is relatively large on the support side and decreases from the support side toward the side in contact with the surface layer. A typical example of distributing Group I atoms or Group V atoms in relatively small amounts or substantially close to zero is the presence of oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and This can be explained using an example similar to the example shown in FIGS. 11 to 19, in which at least one type selected from nitrogen atoms is contained. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

As shown in the examples shown in FIGS. 11 to 19, the photosensitive layer has a portion with a high distribution concentration C of side group (I) atoms or group V atoms near the support side, and on the surface layer side of the photosensitive layer. teeth,
If the distribution concentration C has a part with a very low concentration or a part with a concentration substantially close to zero, the distribution concentration of group (I) atoms or group V atoms is relatively large in the part close to the support side. By providing a localized region with a high concentration, preferably within 5 μm from the interface position in contact with the support surface, the distribution concentration of Group I atoms or Group V atoms can be increased. The above-mentioned effect that the layer region having a certain concentration forms a charge injection blocking layer is more efficiently achieved.

As mentioned above, regarding the distribution state of Group Ⅰ atoms or Group V atoms,
Although the effects of each have been described individually, in order to obtain a light-receiving member having characteristics that can achieve the desired purpose, the distribution and state of these Group I atoms or Group V atoms and their inclusion in the photosensitive layer are important. The amount of Group Ⅰ atoms or Group V atoms may be used in appropriate combinations as necessary.
Needless to say. For example, when a charge injection blocking layer is provided at the end of the photosensitive layer on the support side, the polarity of the K in the photosensitive layer other than the charge injection blocking layer and the conductivity controlling substance contained in the charge injection blocking layer are different. The charge blocking layer may contain a substance that controls conductivity of the same polarity or polarity, or may contain a substance that controls conductivity of the same polarity in an amount much smaller than that contained in the charge blocking layer. good.

Furthermore, in the light-receiving member of the present invention, as a constituent layer provided at the end on the support side, instead of the charge injection blocking layer,
A so-called barrier layer made of an electrically insulating material can also be provided, or both the barrier layer and the charge injection blocking layer can be constituent layers. As a material constituting such a barrier layer, AA! Examples include inorganic electrically insulating materials such as 2o3.5102, Si3N4, and organic electrically insulating materials such as polycarbonate.

Surface layer The surface layer 103 of the light-receiving member of the present invention is the photosensitive layer 1 described above.
02 and has a free surface 104. The surface layer contains at least one selected from oxygen atoms (O), carbon atoms (C), and nitrogen atoms (N), and preferably at least one of hydrogen atoms (H) and halogen atoms (X). Containing a-si (hereinafter referred to as [a-
It is written as st (o, c, N) (a, x) J. ], which functions to reduce the reflection of incident light on the free surface 104 of the light-receiving member and increase transmittance, and also improves the moisture resistance, continuous repeated use characteristics, electrical pressure resistance, and It functions to improve performance characteristics such as use environment characteristics and durability.

In the light receiving member of the present invention, the surface layer 103
At the interface between the surface layer and the photosensitive layer 102, the optical bandgap Eopt of the surface layer and the optical bandgap KO of the photosensitive layer 102 on which the surface layer is directly provided.
pt must be matched or matched to such an extent that reflection of incident light at the interface between the surface layer 103 and the photosensitive layer 102 can be substantially prevented.

Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned conditions, at the end of the surface layer 103 on the free surface side, it is necessary to ensure that a sufficient amount of incident light reaches the photosensitive layer 102 provided below the surface layer. , at the end of the surface layer 103 on the free surface side, there is an optical/send gap 1eop of the surface layer.
It is desirable that the configuration is such that t is sufficiently large. The optical band gap EOpt is configured to match at the interface between the surface layer 103 and the photosensitive layer 102, and the optical band gap Kopt is made sufficiently large at the end of the surface layer on the free surface side. In this case, the optical bandgap of the surface layer is configured to change continuously in the thickness direction of the surface layer.

In order to control the value of the optical bandgap EOpt of the surface layer in the layer thickness direction as described above, oxygen atoms (0), carbon atoms (C), and nitrogen atoms (N ) by controlling the amount of at least one selected from the group consisting of:

Specifically, at least one type selected from oxygen atoms (0), carbon atoms (0), and nitrogen atoms (N) [hereinafter referred to as "atoms (0, C
,N) is written as J. ] is not contained, the atoms (O
tC! IN ) content is zero or close to zero,
At the end of the photosensitive layer in contact with the surface layer, atoms (o+c
+N), the content of atoms (0, C9N) at the end of the surface layer in contact with the photosensitive layer and the content of atoms (0, C9N) in the end of the photosensitive layer in contact with the surface layer are
The content 1 of O9C2N) is the same or there is no substantial difference. Then, from the end of the surface layer on the photosensitive layer side to the end on the free surface side, the amount of atoms (0, C2N) is continuously increased, and near the end on the free surface side, the amount of atoms (0, C2N) is increased. Contains enough atoms of 1 (OIC!tN) to prevent reflection of incident light.Hereinafter,
Some typical examples of the distribution state of atoms (0, C!, N 2 ) in the surface layer will be explained with reference to Figures A to N, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

In Figs. The position tp is the free surface position, the solid line shows the change in the distributed concentration of atoms (0, C2N), and the broken line shows the change in the distributed concentration of silicon atoms (Sl).

The figure below shows the atoms (0, C+, N) contained in the surface layer.
) and a first typical example of the distribution state of silicon atoms (Sl) in the layer thickness direction. In this example, from interface position t to position t1, the distributed concentration C of atoms (0ICIN) increases linearly from zero to concentration C1, while the distributed concentration of silicon atoms increases from concentration C2 to concentration C1. The distribution concentration C of atoms (O, C, N) and silicon atoms decreases linearly until it reaches C3, and from the position t to the position tpVc, the distribution concentration C of atoms (O, C, N) and silicon atoms maintains constant values of the concentration C1 and the concentration C5, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, the distribution concentration C of atoms (otc+N) is from zero to the concentration C4 from interface position tT to position Rt3.
The concentration C4 increases in a linear function up to the point C4, and maintains a constant value of the concentration C4 from the position t3 to the position tF.

On the other hand, the distribution concentration C of silicon atoms decreases linearly from the concentration C5 to the concentration C6 from the position tT to the position t2, and decreases linearly from the concentration C6 to the concentration Cヮ from the position ffl tz to the position t and S. The concentration C decreases functionally and maintains a constant value from position t3 to position tP. At the beginning of the formation of the surface layer, if the concentration of silicon atoms is high, the film formation rate becomes faster, but by reducing the distribution concentration of silicon atoms in two steps as in this example, Speed can be corrected.

In the example shown in FIG. , decreases continuously from the concentration C0 to the concentration C1o, and from the position t4 to the position tF, the atoms (01(:!
The distributed concentration of tN ) and the distributed concentration of silicon atoms (Sl) are concentration C8 and concentration C, respectively. maintain a constant value. As in this example, when the distribution concentration of atoms (o, c, N) is gradually and continuously increased, the rate of change in the refractive index in the layer thickness direction of the surface layer can be made almost constant.

As shown in Figures A to N, the surface layer of the light-receiving member of the present invention has atoms (o,
The distribution concentration of C2N) is set to a concentration substantially close to zero,
It is desirable to increase the concentration continuously towards the free surface and to provide a layer region with a relatively high concentration at the free surface end of the surface layer. In this case, the layer thickness of the layer region is usually set to 0.1 μm or more in order to function as an antireflection layer and a protective layer.

It is desirable that the surface layer also contain at least one of hydrogen atoms or halogen atoms, and the amount of hydrogen atoms (H) to be contained, the amount of halogen atoms (X), or the sum of the amounts of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms (H 10X) is usually 1~
40 atomic%, preferably 5-30 atomic%
mic %, optimally 5 w 25 atomic.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the layer thickness of the surface layer is one of the important factors for efficiently achieving the purpose of the present invention, and is determined as appropriate depending on the intended purpose. It is necessary to mutually and organically determine the amount of oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, halogen atoms, and hydrogen atoms to be contained in the layer, and the characteristics required for the surface layer. Furthermore, it is also necessary to consider economic efficiency, which also takes into account productivity and mass production.

For this reason, the thickness of the surface layer is usually 3 x 10-3
~30μ, but preferably 4X10-3~
, particularly preferably from 5×10 −3 to 10 μm.

By having the above-described layer structure, the light-receiving member of the present invention can solve all of the problems of the light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer made of amorphous silicon. Even when laser light, which is light, is used as a light source, it is possible to significantly prevent the appearance of interference fringe patterns in formed images due to interference phenomena, and to form extremely high-quality visible images.

In addition, the light-receiving member of the present invention has high photosensitivity in the entire visible light range, and is particularly excellent in photosensitivity characteristics on the long wavelength side, so it is particularly excellent in matching with semiconductor lasers, and has a high optical response. It exhibits excellent electrical, optical, photoconductive properties, electrical pressure resistance, and use environment properties.

In particular, when applied as a light-receiving member for electrophotography, there is no influence of residual potential on image formation, its electrical characteristics are stable, it is highly sensitive, and it has a high signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, it has excellent light fatigue resistance and repeated use characteristics, and can stably and repeatedly produce high-quality images with high density, clear halftones, and high resolution.

Next, a method for forming the photoreceptive layer of the present invention will be explained.

The amorphous material constituting the photoreceptive layer of the present invention is deposited by a vacuum deposition method that utilizes a discharge phenomenon such as a glow discharge method, a snowfalling method, or an ion blating method. These molding methods are selected and adopted as appropriate depending on factors such as manufacturing conditions, equipment capital investment load, manufacturing scale, and desired characteristics of the light-receiving member to be manufactured.
It is relatively easy to control the conditions for manufacturing a light-receiving member having the desired characteristics 1, and carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms can be easily introduced together with silicon atoms, so glow discharge is preferred. Preferred methods are the method, the Q-tuttering method, and the Q-tuttering method. □The glow discharge method and the star/Q scattering method may be used together in the same apparatus system. .

For example, by glow discharge method, a-6ti(H,X)
Basically, along with a raw material gas for supplying S1 that can supply silicon atoms (Sl),
or/and halogen atom (X) for introducing hydrogen atom (H)
The raw material gas for introduction is introduced into the interior 75; a deposition chamber that can be made to have a reduced pressure, a glow discharge is generated in the deposition chamber, and a-cn(u
, x).

As the raw material gas for supplying S1, SiH4, Si
2 I (6,5i3H6, Si, H), etc., and gaseous or gasifiable silicon hydride (silanes),
In particular, SiH, , 812H6 is preferred in terms of ease of layer formation work and good S1 supply efficiency.

In addition, as the raw material gas for introducing the nitrogen atoms,
Many compounds may be mentioned, with gaseous or gasifiable compounds being preferred, such as halogen gases, halides, intergen compounds, silane derivatives substituted with halogens, and the like. Specifically, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine IS O gas, BrE', O
IF, IC! Interhalogen compounds such as IF3, BrF5, BrF3, F7, Cl, and more, and SiF,
Si2F6, SiC! 14, halogen compounds such as SiBr4, and the like. When using a gaseous silicon halide or one that can be gasified as described above, S1
This is particularly effective because a layer composed of a-8i containing halogen atoms can be formed without separately using a raw material gas for supply.

Further, as the raw material gas for supplying hydrogen atoms, hydrogen gas, HF, HCl, halides such as HBr, HI, SiH, Si, etc. can be used. H,,5i3H,,Si,H
,. silicon hydride such as, or Si H2F2, Si
H2 engineering, 51H2c12.5iHCII3.5iH2
Gaseous or gasifiable materials such as halogen-substituted silicon hydrides such as Br2.5iHBr3 can be used, and when these raw material gases are used, they are extremely effective in controlling electrical or photoelectric characteristics. This is effective because the content of hydrogen atoms (H) can be easily controlled. When the above-mentioned non-lodenated hydrogen or the above-mentioned non-rogen-substituted silicon hydride is used, it is particularly effective because hydrogen atoms (H) are also introduced at the same time as the rogen atoms are introduced.

In addition, the amount of hydrogen atoms (H) and/or halogen atoms (X) contained in the a-8i layer can be controlled, for example, by controlling the support temperature, hydrogen atoms (H) and/or halogen atoms (X).
This is done by controlling the amount of starting material introduced into the deposition chamber, the discharge power, etc.

In order to form a layer consisting of a-sl (a, A gas of a compound or an oxygen compound containing a halogen atom may be introduced into the deposition chamber to form a plasma atmosphere of the gas.

In addition, when introducing hydrogen atoms, a raw material gas for introducing hydrogen atoms, such as H2 or the above-mentioned silane gases, is introduced into the deposition chamber for sputtering to form a plasma atmosphere of the gas. good.

For example, in the case of the reactive sputtering method (C uses the S1 target), the gas for introducing rogen atoms and the island gas are introduced into the deposition chamber, including inert gases such as Hθ and Ar as necessary. A layer of a-5i(H,X) is formed on the support by forming a plasma atmosphere and sputtering the S1 target.

Using a glow discharge method, a sputtering method, or an ion blating method, a''s, i(, H, In order to form a layer composed of an amorphous material, when forming a layer of a-8i (H,
The starting material for introducing a group II atom or a group V atom, a starting material for introducing a nitrogen atom, a starting material for introducing an oxygen atom, or a starting material for introducing a carbon atom is used as the a-8i (H
IX) by their use in conjunction with the starting materials for the formation and their controlled inclusion in the layer to be formed.

For example, using the glow discharge method, the s(tuttering method) or the ion brating method, group
In order to form a layer or a layer region composed of a-8i (H, This is done by using the starting materials for the introduction of atoms or Group V atoms together with the starting materials for the formation of a-8i(H,X), including their controlled amounts in the layer being formed.

Specifically, starting materials for introducing group (I) atoms include B2H6 and B4H for introducing boron atoms. ,B,E(9,
B5H work 0, B, H work. , B, H-2, B, H-6, etc.), BF2, BCl3, BBr3, etc.), boron halides, and the like.

In addition, AlCl3, QaC13, Ga(aH3)2,
Engineering nCl3, TlCl.

etc. can also be mentioned.

Examples of starting materials for introducing Group V atoms include hydrogenated phosphorus such as PH3, P, H, etc., and PH4 for introducing phosphorus atoms.
1.PF! S, PF,,'E'C1,s, PCla
, BBr4, pay, and PI3. In addition, A8H3, AsF3, A8CA'3
, AsBr3, AsF3, Sba, , 81) F'3.8
1) F5.5bC13, 5bC15, E11H3, B1
013, B1Br3, etc. can also be mentioned as effective starting materials for introducing Group V atoms.

When a glow discharge method is used to form a layer or layer region containing oxygen atoms, a starting material for introducing oxygen atoms is added to a material selected as desired from among the starting materials for forming the photoreceptive layer described above. is added. As such a starting material for introducing oxygen atoms, almost any gaseous substance or substance that can be gasified can be used as long as it has at least an oxygen atom as a constituent atom.

For example, a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Sl), a raw material gas containing oxygen atoms (0), and hydrogen atoms (H) or/and halogen atoms (X) as necessary.
or a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Sl) and oxygen atoms (0) and hydrogen atoms (H) at a desired mixing ratio. A raw material gas containing atoms is also mixed at a desired mixing ratio, or a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Sl) and oxygen atoms (
0) and a raw material gas whose constituent atoms are three hydrogen atoms (H) can be used in combination.

Alternatively, a raw material gas having silicon atoms (Sl) and hydrogen atoms (H) as constituent atoms may be mixed with a raw material gas having oxygen atoms (0) as constituent atoms.

Specifically, for example, oxygen (02), ozone (03), -
Nitrogen oxide (No), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), -nitrogen dioxide (N20), nitrogen sesquioxide (N2O3), trinitrogen tetraoxide (N204), nitrogen sesquioxide (,N2O5),
Lower siloxanes such as nitrogen trioxide (X03), silicon atoms (Sl), oxygen atoms (0), and hydrogen atoms (H), such as disiloxane (H3SiO8iHs) and trisiloxane 7 (H3SiO8iH20SiH5), etc. can be mentioned.

To form a layer or a layer region containing oxygen atoms by sputtering, a monocrystalline or polycrystalline S1 wafer or an 8102 wafer, or a wafer containing a mixture of Sl and 5102 is used as a target. This can be done by sputtering in various gas atmospheres.

For example, if an S1 wafer is used as a target, the raw material gas for introducing oxygen atoms and optionally hydrogen atoms and/or halogen atoms is diluted with a diluent gas as necessary, and the source gas is used in a deposition chamber for sputtering. The Si wafer may be sputtered by introducing the Si wafer into the Si wafer and forming a gas plasma of these gases.

Alternatively, if Sl and 810° are used as separate targets, or if a mixed target of 81 and 8102 is used, K may be used in an atmosphere of dilution gas as a sputtering gas or at least hydrogen atoms. It can be formed by snogging in a gas atmosphere containing (H) or/and halogen atoms (X) as constituent atoms.

As the raw material gas for introducing oxygen atoms, the raw material gas for introducing oxygen atoms among the raw material gases shown in the glow discharge example described above can be used as an effective gas also in the case of sputtering.

When a glow discharge method is used to form a layer or layer region containing nitrogen atoms, a starting material for introducing nitrogen atoms is added to a starting material selected as desired from among the starting materials for forming the photoreceptive layer described above. Add. As the starting material for introducing nitrogen atoms, almost any gaseous substance or gasifiable substance having at least nitrogen atoms as a constituent atom can be used.

For example, a raw material gas whose constituent atoms are silicon atoms (Sl), a raw material gas whose constituent atoms are nitrogen atoms (N), and hydrogen atoms (H) or/and halogen atoms (X) as necessary.
A raw material gas having constituent atoms is mixed at a desired mixing ratio, or a raw material gas having silicon atoms (Sl) and nitrogen atoms (N) and hydrogen atoms (H) having constituent atoms is used. An atomic sulfur gas can also be used in combination with the desired mixing ratio.

Also, separately, silicon atoms (Sl) and hydrogen atoms (H)
You may mix and use the raw material gas which has a nitrogen atom (N) as a constituent atom with the raw material gas which has a nitrogen atom (N) as a constituent atom.

A starting material that is effectively used as a raw material gas for introducing nitrogen atoms (N) used when forming a layer or layer region containing nitrogen atoms has N as a constituent atom, or N,!
: H as a constituent atom, such as nitrogen (N2), ammonia (NHs), hydrazine <&NNH2),
hydrogen azide CNH3), ammonium azide (NH4N
Gaseous or gasifiable nitrogen, such as 3), and nitrogen compounds such as nitrides and azides can be mentioned. In addition to this, in addition to the introduction of nitrogen atoms (N), halogen atoms (X
), nitrogen trifluoride (FsN) can also be introduced.
, nitrogen tetrafluoride (74N2), etc., can be mentioned.

To form a layer or layer region containing nitrogen atoms by a sputtering method, a single crystal or polycrystalline Si wafer, Si3N, Ueno 1-1, or Sl and Si wafer is used.
This can be carried out by using a wafer containing a mixture of 3N and 3N as a target and subjecting it to sintering in various gas atmospheres.

For example, if an S1 wafer is used as a target, the raw material gas for introducing nitrogen atoms and optionally hydrogen atoms and/or halogen atoms is diluted with a diluent gas as necessary, and the source gas is used in a deposition chamber for sputtering. The Si wafer may be sputtered by introducing the Si wafer into the Si wafer and forming a gas plasma of these gases.

Alternatively, by using Sl and Si3N as separate targets, or by using a single mixed target of Sl and Si3N, it is possible to generate at least hydrogen atoms in an atmosphere of dilution gas as a sputtering gas. (H)
Alternatively, it can be formed by sputtering in a gas atmosphere containing halogen atoms (X) as constituent atoms.

As the raw material gas for introducing nitrogen atoms, the raw material gas for introducing nitrogen atoms among the raw material gases shown in the glow discharge example described above can be used as an effective gas also in the case of sputtering.

For example, in order to form a layer or a layer region containing carbon atoms by a glow discharge method, a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Sl) and a raw material gas containing carbon atoms (0) are used. and, if necessary, a raw material gas containing hydrogen atoms (H) and/or halogen atoms (X) at a desired mixing ratio, or silicon atoms (
A raw material gas whose constituent atoms are Sl) and carbon atoms (Cj)
and a raw material gas whose constituent atoms are hydrogen atoms (H) are also mixed at a desired mixing ratio, or a raw material gas whose constituent atoms are silicon atoms (Sl) and a raw material gas whose constituent atoms are silicon atoms (H) are mixed at a desired mixing ratio.
si), by mixing a raw material gas containing carbon atoms (c) and hydrogen atoms (H), or by mixing a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (sl) and hydrogen atoms (H) with carbon atoms. A mixture of raw material gases containing Co) as constituent atoms is used.

(a- containing carbon atoms by ltuttering method)
To form a layer or a layer region composed of 8i (H, Ri), monocrystalline or polycrystalline 81 waeno-- or C (graphite) waeno 1-1 or a mixture of Sl and C may be contained. This is carried out by using the wafer 71- as a target and snogging the wafer 71- in a desired gas atmosphere.

For example, when using an S1 wafer as a target, the raw material gas for introducing carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms and/or halogen atoms may be Ar, H
S
It is enough to sputter one wafer.

In addition, when using Sl and C as separate targets, or when using a mixed target of Sl and C, hydrogen atoms or /
The raw material gas for introducing halogen atoms may be diluted with a diluent gas if necessary, and introduced into a deposition chamber for sputtering to form gas plasma and perform sputtering. As the raw material gas for introducing each atom used in the sputtering method, the raw material gas used in the glow discharge method described above can be used as is.

Sl is effectively used as such raw material gas.
S1H, Si2H6, Si3 whose constituent atoms are and H
Silicon hydride gas such as silanes (5ilane) such as &, 5i4H1o, saturated hydrocarbons having 1 to 4 carbon atoms containing C and H as constituent atoms, ethylene hydrocarbons having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, carbon Examples include a few acetylene hydrocarbons.

Specifically, methane (CH4
), ethane (02H6), propane (C3H8), n-
Butane (" 04HIO), butane (C5H, 2)
, ethylene hydrocarbons include ethylene (C!2H4
), propylene (C3H6), butene-1 (04H8)
, butene-2 (04H8), inbutylene (C4H8)
, Takuten (C5H10), acetylene hydrocarbons include acetylene (C2H2), methylacetylene (03H4), butyne (C!4H6), and the like.

As a raw material gas containing Sl, C, and H as constituent atoms, S
Examples include alkyl silicides such as i(CH3)4.5i(f:!2H5)a. In addition to these raw material gases,
Of course, H2 can also be used as the raw material gas for introducing H.

When forming the photosensitive layer and surface layer of the present invention by a glow discharge method, a sputtering method, or an ion-blating method, a Group Ⅰ atom or a Group V atom or atom to be introduced into a-8i(H,X) The content of (0+CtN) is
This is done by controlling the gas flow rate and gas flow rate ratio of the starting material flowing into the deposition chamber.

However, conditions such as the support temperature, gas pressure in the deposition chamber, and discharge power during the formation of the photoreceptive layer are important factors in order to obtain a photoreceptor with desired characteristics, and may affect the function of the layer to be formed. It is selected as appropriate after consideration. moreover,
Since these layer formation conditions may differ depending on the type and amount of each of the atoms mentioned above to be included in the photoreceptive layer, it is also necessary to determine them by taking into consideration the type and amount of atoms to be included. .

Specifically, the support temperature is usually 50 to 350°C, particularly preferably 50 to 250°C.

The gas pressure in the deposition chamber is usually 0.01 to I Torr, particularly preferably 0.1 to Q, 5 Torr.

In addition, discharge/warming is 0.005~50W/cIrL2
It is usually 0.01 to 3, preferably 0.01 to 3.
0W/22, particularly preferably 0.01-20W/c1r
Let it be L2.

However, the specific conditions for layer formation, such as support temperature for K, discharge/Q warp, and gas pressure in the deposition chamber, are usually difficult to determine individually.

Therefore, in order to form an amorphous material layer with desired characteristics,
It is desirable to determine optimal conditions for layer formation based on mutual and organic relationships.

In the light-receiving member of the present invention, the light-receiving layer thereof must be formed to have at least a pair of non-parallel interfaces within the short range, as described above, and for this purpose, the support The surface of the layer formed thereon is formed non-parallel to the surface of the support, but in order to do so, discharge, e-warp, and gas pressure must be kept relatively low during the film-forming operation. This is done by keeping it high.

The discharge power and gas pressure vary depending on the type of gas used, the material of the support, the shape of the surface of the support, the temperature of the support, etc., and are determined in consideration of these various conditions.

By the way, the oxygen atoms contained in the photoreceptive layer of the present invention,
In order to make the distribution state of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, Group Ⅰ atoms or Group V atoms, hydrogen atoms and/or halogen atoms uniform, the above conditions must be kept constant when forming the photoreceptive layer. It is necessary to maintain it.

In addition, in the present invention, when forming the photoreceptive layer, the distribution concentration of oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or Group I atoms or Group V atoms contained in the layer is changed in the layer thickness direction. In order to form a photoreceptive layer having a desired distribution state in the layer thickness direction, if a glow discharge method is used, oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or group Ⅰ or group V atoms may be introduced. appropriately changing the gas flow rate when introducing the starting material gas into the deposition chamber according to the desired rate of change;
Formed while keeping other conditions constant. In order to change the amount of gas light, specifically, by using some commonly used method such as manually or using an external drive motor, a predetermined knob provided in the middle of the gas flow path system is changed. An operation may be performed to gradually change the opening. At this time, the rate of change in the flow rate does not need to be linear; for example, a microcomputer or the like can be used to control the flow rate according to a rate-of-change curve designed in advance to obtain a desired content rate curve.

In addition, when forming the photoreceptive layer using the S/Q stumbling method, the distribution concentration of oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, Group I atoms, or Group V atoms in the layer thickness direction may be changed in the layer thickness direction. In order to form a desired distribution state in the layer thickness direction, in the same way as when using the glow discharge method, starting materials for introducing oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, or Group I atoms or Group V atoms are used. is used in a gaseous state, and the gas flow rate when introducing the gas into the deposition chamber is varied according to a desired rate of change.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail according to Examples 1 to 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In each example, the photoreceptive layer was formed using a glow discharge method. FIG. n shows an apparatus for manufacturing a light-receiving member of the present invention using a glow discharge method.

2302.2303.2304.2305.23 in the diagram
In the gas cylinder 06, raw material gases for forming each layer of the present invention are sealed, for example, 2302 is Sl)! 4 gas (purity 99.999%) cylinder, 2303 is B2H6 gas diluted with B2 (
Purity 99.999%, hereinafter abbreviated as B2H6/He. ) cylinder, 2304 is a CH4 gas (purity 99.999cm) cylinder, 2305 is a N2 gas (purity 99.999cm) cylinder, and 2306 is a B2 gas (purity 99.999%) cylinder.

In order to flow these gases into the reaction chamber 2301, valves 2322 to 2326 of gas cylinders 2302 to 2306,
Confirm that the leak valve 2335 is closed, and also check the inflow valves 2312 to 2316 and the outflow valve 23.
17-2321, confirm that the auxiliary valves 2332 and 2333 are open, and first open the main valve 233.
4 to exhaust the inside of the reaction chamber 2301 and gas piping. Next, when the vacuum gauge 2336 reads approximately 5X10-'torr, close the auxiliary/cerno 2332, 2333 and outflow valves 2317-2321.

An example of forming a light-receiving layer on the base cylinder 2337 will be given. 51H4 gas from gas cylinder 2302,
Open the valves 2322 and 2323 of the B2H6/B2 gas from the gas cylinder 2303 to increase the outlet pressure 23
Adjust the pressure of 27.2328 to 1 kg/cIrL2, and gradually increase the inflow no.
into the mass flow controllers 2307 and 2308. Subsequently, the outflow valves 2317 and 2318 and the auxiliary valve 2332 are gradually opened to allow gas to flow into the reaction chamber 2301. 81H at this time, gas flow rate, B2 H6
Adjust the outflow valves 2317 and 2318 so that the /H2 gas flow rate ratio becomes the desired value, and adjust the main valve 2334 while checking the reading on the vacuum gauge 2336 so that the pressure inside the reaction chamber 2301 becomes the desired value. Adjust the aperture.

Then, the temperature of the base cylinder 2337 becomes higher than that of the heating heater 2.
338 confirms that the temperature is set in the range of 50 to 400°C, the power supply 2340 is set to the desired power to generate glow discharge in the reaction chamber 2301, and the microcomputer (not shown) B2 H according to the pre-designed rate of change line using
6/ H2 gas flow rate and SiH.

First, a photosensitive layer composed of a-81(H,X) containing boron atoms is formed on the base cylinder 2337 while controlling the gas flow rate.

To form a surface layer on the photosensitive layer, following the above operation, for example, each of SiH4 gas and cH gas is diluted with a diluent gas such as He, Ar, H2, etc. as necessary,
The desired gas flow rate flows into the reaction chamber 23o1, and atoms ( A surface layer composed of a-81(H,X) containing 0,C9N) is formed.

When forming the photosensitive layer and the surface layer, the flow rate of the raw material gas is controlled using a microcomputer, etc.
By using a diluent gas together with the raw material gas for introducing each atom, the gas pressure in the reaction chamber 2301 is stabilized, and stable film forming conditions are ensured. be able to.

In addition, it goes without saying that all outflow valves other than the gas outflow valve required when forming each layer are closed, and when forming each layer, the gas used to form the previous layer is not allowed to flow into the reaction chamber. Within 23o1, outflow consideration rub 2317-2321
In order to avoid gas from remaining in the gas piping leading to the reaction chamber 23o1, the outflow valves 2317 to 2321 are closed, the auxiliary valves 2332 and 2333 are opened, and the main valve 2
334 to fully open the system to temporarily evacuate the system to high vacuum is performed as necessary.

Example 1 A cylindrical Al base (length 357 tt) was used as a support.
Figure 5 (P: pinch, D: depth)
The material shown in the upper column of Table 1A obtained by lathe processing as shown in K was used. Note that FIG. 5(A)' is an overall view of the Al support, and FIG. 5(B) is a partially enlarged sectional view thereof.

Next, a photoreceptive layer was formed on the Al support (samples N1101 to 108) using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 under the conditions shown in Table 1B below. Incidentally, the gas flow rates of OR, gas, H2 gas, SiF, and gas during the formation of the surface layer were automatically adjusted by microcomputer control according to the flow rate change line shown in the figure.

When the layer thickness of the photoreceptive layer of each of the photoreceptive members thus obtained was measured using an electron microscope, it was found that the surface of the photoreceptor layer was non-parallel to the surface of the support.
The difference in layer thickness of the light-receiving layer at minute portions is shown in the middle column of Table 1A. The difference in average layer thickness between the center and both ends of the Al support of the photoreceptive layer was 2.2 μm.

Furthermore, these light-receiving members were image-exposed by irradiating a laser beam with a wavelength of 780 nm and a spot diameter of μm using the image exposure device shown in Figure 1, and were developed and
Transfer was performed to obtain an image.

The occurrence of interference fringes in the obtained images was as shown in the lower column of Table 1A.

Note that FIG. 24(A) is a schematic plan view schematically showing the entire exposure apparatus, and FIG. 24(B) is a schematic side view schematically showing the entire exposure apparatus. In the figure, 2401 is a light receiving member, 2402 is a semiconductor laser, 2403 is an fθ lens, and 2404 is a polygon mirror.

Comparative Example 1 As a comparative experiment, an Al support whose surface was roughened by sandblasting was used instead of the At support used when creating the light-receiving member of Example 1, except that the same procedure as described above was used. A light-receiving member was produced in exactly the same manner as the light-receiving member produced using a high-frequency power of 250 to 300 W in Example 1.

At this time, the surface of A was roughened by sandblasting.
The surface condition of the support was measured using a universal surface profile measuring instrument (SBm-3C) from Koita Research Institute before forming the photoreceptive layer, and the average surface roughness at this time was 1.8 μm. There was found.

When this comparative light-receiving member was attached to the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 used in Example 1 and similar image formation was performed, clear interference fringes were formed in the all-black image.

Comparative Example 2 A photoreceptive layer was formed on an At support having the same surface shape as in Example 1 in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the discharge power at the time of forming the first layer was 40 W. did.

Regarding each of the obtained light-receiving members, the light-receiving layer thereof was measured in the same manner as in Example 1.
As shown, the surface of the second layer was parallel to the surface of the support.

Further, the difference in the layer thickness of the photoreceptive layer between the center and both ends of the At support was 1 μm on average.

When images were formed on these light-receiving members in the same manner as in Example 1, interference fringes unsuitable for practical use were observed in the resulting images.

Example 2 A photoreceptive layer was formed on an Al support (sample resistance tot -log ) in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the photoreceptive layer was formed according to the layer forming conditions shown in Table 2B.

Note that the boron atoms contained in the photosensitive layer are B2H6/
Si? In this case, 100 ppm of dust was added, and the entire layer was doped with about 200 ppm of dust. Also, N2 gas, S, which is released during the formation of the surface layer.
The gas flow rates of iF, gas, and H2 gas were automatically adjusted by microcomputer control according to the flow rate change line shown in FIG.

When the difference in layer thickness at minute portions of the light-receiving member thus obtained was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, the results shown in the upper column of Table 2A were obtained. Further, the difference in average layer thickness between the center and both ends of the At support of the photoreceptive layer was 2.3 μm.

When images were formed on these light-receiving members in the same manner as in Example 1, the occurrence of interference fringes in the obtained images was as shown in the lower column of Table 2A.

Example 3 In the same manner as in Example 1, under the layer forming conditions shown in Table 3B, A
A photoreceptive layer was formed on the t support (samples Nu 101 to 108). In addition, changes in the flow rates of B2H6/H2 gas and H2 gas during formation of the photosensitive layer and No.
Changes in the flow rates of gas, H2 gas, and SiF gas were automatically adjusted by microcomputer control according to the flow rate change curves shown in Figures A and 4, respectively. Further, boron atoms to be contained in the photosensitive layer were introduced under the same conditions as in Example 2.

When the difference in layer thickness at minute portions of the obtained light-receiving member was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, the results shown in the upper column of Table 3A were obtained. Further, the difference in average layer thickness between the center and both ends of the support a of the photoreceptive layer was 2.1.

When images were formed on these light-receiving members in the same manner as in Example 1, the occurrence of interference fringes in the obtained images was as shown in the lower column of Table 3A.

Example 4 In the same manner as in Example 1, under the layer forming conditions shown in Table 4B, a
A photoreceptive layer was formed on the support (sample levels 101 to 108). The changes in the flow rates of B2H6/N2 gas and N2 gas during the formation of the photosensitive layer, and the changes in the flow rates of N2 gas, N2 gas and SiF gas during the formation of the surface layer are shown in the leap diagram and FIG. 31, respectively. It was automatically adjusted by microcomputer control according to the flow rate change line. The boron atoms contained in the photosensitive layer were introduced under the same conditions as in Example 2.

When the difference in layer thickness at minute portions of the obtained light-receiving member was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, the results shown in the upper column of Table 48 were obtained. Further, the difference in average layer thickness between the center of the cylinder and both ends of the photoreceptive layer was 2.1 μm.

When images were formed on these light-receiving members in the same manner as in Example 1, the occurrence of interference fringes in the obtained images was 9 as shown in the lower column of Table 4A.

Examples 5 to 10 A support (sample N [1103 to 106)] - upper two photoreceptive layers were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the photoreceptive layer was formed according to the layer forming conditions shown in Tables 5 to 10. was formed.

In each example, the gas flow rates of the gases used during the formation of the photosensitive layer and the formation of the surface layer were determined by microcomputer control according to the flow rate change curves shown in FIGS. 32 to 39, as shown in Table 11. Boron atoms, which were automatically adjusted and contained in the photosensitive layer in each example, were introduced under the same conditions as in Example 2.

When images were formed on these light-receiving members in the same manner as in Example 1, good results similar to those in Example 1 were obtained.

Table 11 [Summary of Effects of the Invention] The light-receiving member of the present invention has the above-described layer structure, thereby solving all of the problems of the light-receiving member having a light-receiving layer made of amorphous silicon. In particular, even when laser light, which is coherent monochromatic light, is used as a light source, it significantly prevents the appearance of interference fringes in images formed due to interference phenomena, and forms extremely high-quality visible images. be able to.

In addition, the light-receiving member of the present invention has high photosensitivity in the entire visible light range, and is particularly excellent in photosensitivity characteristics on the longest wavelength side, so it is particularly suitable for matching with semiconductor lasers, and has a high photoresponsiveness. It exhibits excellent electrical, optical, photoconductive properties, electrical pressure resistance, and use environment properties.

In particular, when applied as a light-receiving member for electrophotography, there is no influence of residual potential on image formation, its electrical characteristics are stable, it is highly sensitive, and it has a high signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, it has excellent light fatigue resistance and repeated use characteristics, and can stably and repeatedly produce high-quality images with high density, clear halftone, and high resolution.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the layered structure of the light-receiving member of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are partially enlarged views illustrating the principle of preventing the generation of interference fringes in the present invention. Adashi,
Figure 2 shows how interference fringes can be prevented when the free surface and the interface between the photosensitive layer and the surface layer are non-parallel. Figure 3 shows each of the constituent layers provided on the support. Figure 4, which compares the intensity of reflected light when the interfaces are parallel and non-parallel, explains how to prevent interference fringes when the photosensitive layer is composed of two or more multilayers. This is a diagram. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a typical example of the surface shape of the support of the light-receiving member of the present invention. 6 to 10 are diagrams illustrating the occurrence of interference fringes in a conventional light-receiving member, in which FIG. 6 shows the occurrence of interference fringes in the light-receiving layer, and FIG. 7 shows the occurrence of interference fringes in the light-receiving layer with a multilayer structure. Generation of interference fringes. Figure 8 shows the generation of interference fringes due to scattered light. Figure 9 shows the generation of interference fringes due to scattered light in a multilayer photoreceptive layer. Figure 10 shows the respective constituent layers of the photoreceptive layer. Each shows the occurrence of interference fringes when the interfaces are parallel. 11 to 19 are diagrams showing the distribution state of at least one selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms, and group (I) atoms or group (II) atoms in the layer thickness direction in the photosensitive layer of the present invention, Figures A to N are
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the distribution state of at least one kind selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms in the layer thickness direction in the surface layer of the present invention, and in each diagram, the vertical axis indicates the layer thickness of the photoreceptive layer; The horizontal axis represents the distribution concentration of each atom. FIG. n is an example of an apparatus for manufacturing the light-receiving layer of the light-receiving member of the present invention, and is a schematic explanatory diagram of a manufacturing apparatus using a glow discharge method. FIG. u is a diagram showing an image exposure device using laser light. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a light-receiving member in which the free surface and the surface of the support are parallel. 26 to 39 are diagrams showing changes in the gas flow rate ratio in forming the photoreceptive layer of the present invention, where the vertical axis represents the layer thickness of the photoreceptive layer, and the horizontal axis represents the gas flow rate ratio of the gas used. . Regarding Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 5, 101.201.301.401...Support, 102
．． 202.302...Photosensitive layer, 402,402"...
・Layer constituting the photosensitive layer, 103.203.303.40
3...Surface layer, 104.204.304...Free surface, 205.305...Interface between photosensitive layer and surface layer, Regarding Figures 6 to 10, 601...Lower interface, 602...・Top interface, 701
... Support, 702.703 ... Photoreceptive layer, 801
... Support, 802 ... Photoreceptive layer, 901 ... Support, 902 ... First layer, 903 ... Second layer, 10
01...Support, 1002...Photoreceptive layer, 1003
... Support surface, 1004 ... Photoreceptive layer surface, nth
Regarding the figure, 2301...Reaction chamber, 2302-2306...Gas cylinder, 2307-2311...Mass flow controller, 2312-2316...Inflow valve, 2317-
2321...Outflow valve, 2322-2326...
Valve, 2327-2331...Pressure regulator, 233
2.2333...Auxiliary valve, 2334...Main valve, 2385...Leak, 6 lube, 2336...
・Vacuum gauge, 2337...Base cylinder, 2338・
... Heating heat p -12339 ... Motor, 234
0... High frequency power supply, regarding FIG. 24, 2401... Light receiving member, 24o2... Semiconductor laser, 2403... fθ lens, 2404... Polygon mirror. Patent exhibitor Canon Co., Ltd. Engraving of drawings (no changes in content) Figure 1 Figure 3 (A) (83 (C) R Location Figure 5 Figure 8 Figure 9 Location Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 17 Figure □C H2 gas B 2 Ha/H2 gas Figure 30 H2 gas B2H, /H, gas procedure amendment (method) November 15, 1985

Claims (19)

[Claims] (1) A photosensitive layer made of an amorphous material having silicon atoms as a matrix, silicon atoms, oxygen atoms,
A light-receiving member comprising a light-receiving layer having a surface layer made of an amorphous material containing at least one selected from carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms, wherein the photosensitive layer and the surface layer have an optical bandgap matching at the interface, and at least one pair of non-parallel interfaces in the short range in the photoreceptive layer, and at least one pair of non-parallel interfaces in a plane perpendicular to the layer direction. A light-receiving member characterized in that a large number of light-receiving members are arranged in a direction, and the non-parallel interfaces are smoothly connected in the arrangement direction. (2) The light-receiving member according to claim (1), wherein the photosensitive layer contains at least one type selected from oxygen atoms, carbon atoms, and nitrogen atoms. (3) The light-receiving member according to claim (1), wherein the photosensitive layer contains a substance that controls conductivity. (4) Claim No. (1) in which the photosensitive layer has a multilayer structure
The light-receiving member described in 2. (5) The light-receiving member according to claim (4), wherein the photosensitive layer has, as one of its constituent layers, a charge injection blocking layer containing a substance that controls conductivity. (6) The light-receiving member according to claim (4), wherein the photosensitive layer has a barrier layer as one of the constituent layers. (7) The light-receiving member according to claim (1), wherein the non-parallel interfaces are regularly arranged. (8) The light-receiving member according to claim (1), wherein the arrangement of non-parallel interfaces is periodic. (9) The light receiving member according to claim (1), which has a short range of 0.3 to 500μ. (10) The light-receiving member according to claim (1), wherein the non-parallel interface is formed based on regularly arranged smooth irregularities provided on the surface of the support. (11) The light-receiving member according to claim (10), wherein the smooth irregularities are formed by sinusoidal linear protrusions. (12) Claim No. 1, wherein the support body is cylindrical (
The light-receiving member according to item 1). (13) The light-receiving member according to claim (12), wherein the sinusoidal linear protrusion has a spiral structure within the plane of the support. (14) The light-receiving member according to claim (13), wherein the spiral structure is a multi-spiral structure. (15) The light-receiving member according to claim (11), wherein the sinusoidal linear protrusion is divided in the direction of its ridgeline. (16) The light-receiving member according to claim (15), wherein the ridgeline direction of the sinusoidal linear protrusion is along the central axis of the cylindrical support. (17) The light receiving member according to claim (10), wherein the smooth unevenness has an inclined surface. (18) The light-receiving member according to claim (17), wherein the inclined surface is mirror-finished. (19) The free surface of the light-receiving layer is provided with smooth irregularities arranged at the same pitch as the smooth irregularities provided on the support surface. Light receiving member.