US 2006/0194132 A1 · Electrophotographic photosensitive member

Abstract

An electrophotographic photosensitive member is provided in which electrophotographic properties including resolving power have been improved with minimized absorption of image exposure light at a short wavelength in a surface layer. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a photoconductive layer composed of a non-single-crystal silicon film and a surface region layer composed of a non-single-crystal silicon nitride film containing silicon atoms and nitrogen atoms, superimposed on a conductive substrate. The surface region layer has a gradient-composition layer in which the composition ratio between silicon atoms and nitrogen atoms is changed and a surface layer in which the composition ratio between them is constant. The gradient-composition layer and surface region layer contain a Group 13 element, and the content distribution of the element in the thickness direction of each layer has at least one local maximum value.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising:

a conductive substrate;
a photoconductive layer composed of a non-single-crystal silicon film using at least a silicon atom as a base material, the photoconductive layer being superimposed on the conductive substrate;
and
a surface region layer composed of a non-single-crystal silicon nitride film which uses a silicon atom and a nitrogen atom as base materials and at least part of which contains a Group 13 element in the periodic table, the surface region layer being superimposed on the photoconductive layer,
wherein a content of the Group 13 element with respect to a total amount of constituent atoms has a distribution having at least two local maximum values in a thickness direction of the surface region layer.

2 more elements

An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising:

a conductive substrate;
a photoconductive layer composed of a non-single-crystal silicon film using at least a silicon atom as a base material, the photoconductive layer being superimposed on the conductive substrate;
and
a surface region layer composed of a non-single-crystal silicon nitride film which uses a silicon atom and a nitrogen atom as base materials and at least part of which contains a Group 13 element in the periodic table, the surface region layer being superimposed on the photoconductive layer, the surface region layer having a gradient-composition layer in which a composition ratio between silicon atoms and nitrogen atoms is changed and a surface layer in which a composition ratio between silicon atoms and nitrogen atoms is constant,
wherein a content of the Group 13 element with respect to a total amount of constituent atoms has distribution with at least one local maximum value in a thickness direction of the gradient-composition layer and has distribution with at least one local maximum value in the thickness direction of the surface layer.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member

Life of this patent

Electrophotographic photosensitive member

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24