Amorphous silicon photoconductive member

A photoconductive member comprising a support for a photoconductive member and a layer which comprises an amorphous material having silicon atoms as matrix containing at least hydrogen atom and halogen atom and exhibits photoconductivity, said layer having a layer region containing carbon atom in at least a part thereof, the content of the carbon atoms in said layer region being distributed unevenly in the direction of the thickness of said layer and evenly within a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the support to selectively provide enhanced photosensitization and stable image characteristics or barrier properties wherein the distribution profile of the content of carbon atoms within said layer region in the layer thickness direction has the maximum value of distribution C.sub.max being 0.03 to 90 atomic %, and the total content of carbon atoms in the layer region is 0.05-30 atomic %.

A photoconductive member comprising a support for a photoconductive member and a layer which comprises an amorphous material having silicon atoms as matrix containing at least one of hydrogen and halogen and exhibiting photoconductivity, said layer being constituted of a lower layer region having carbon atoms distributed substantially uniformly in the layer thickness direction at a distribution content of C.sub.1, an upper layer region having carbon atoms distributed substantially uniformly in the layer thickness direction at a distribution content of C.sub.2 and an intermediate layer sandwiched between both of said layers, having carbon atoms distributed substantially uniformly in the layer thickness direction at a distribution content of C.sub.3, the values of C.sub.1 and C.sub.2 being respectively greater than the value of C.sub.3 and the carbon atoms in said lower layer region, intermediate layer and upper layer region being distributed evenly within a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the support.

A photoconductive member comprising a support for a photoconductive member;

• a layer which comprises an amorphous material having silicon atoms as matrix containing at least one of hydrogen atom and halogen atom and exhibits photoconductivity, said layer having a layer region containing carbon atom in at least a part thereof, the content of the carbon atoms in said layer region being distributed unevenly in the direction of the thickness of said layer and evenly within a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the support to selectively provide enhanced photosensitization and stable image characteristics or barrier properties wherein the distribution profile of the content of carbon atoms within said layer region in the layer thickness direction has the maximum value of distribution C.sub.max being 0.03 to 90 atomic %, and the total content of carbon atoms in the layer region is 0.05-30 atomic % and a barrier layer between the support and the amorphous material layer which comprises an amorphous material comprising silicon atoms as a matrix and at least one atom selected from the group consisting of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms as constituent elements.

A photoconductive member comprising a support for a photoconductive member;

• a layer which comprises an amorphous material having silicon atoms as matrix containing at least one of hydrogen atom and halogen atom and exhibits photoconductivity, said layer having a layer region containing carbon atoms in at least a part thereof, the content of the carbon atoms in said layer region being distributed unevenly in the direction of the thickness of said layer and evenly within a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the support to selectively provide enhanced photosensitization and stable image characteristics or barrier properties wherein the ditribution profile of the content of carbon atoms within said layer region in the layer thickness direction has the maximum value of distribution C.sub.max being 0.03 to 90 atomic %, and the total content of carbon atoms in the layer region is 0.05-30 atomic % and an upper barrier layer on the amorphous material layer.

A photoconductive member, comprising a support for a photoconductive member and a layer which comprises an amorphous material having silicon atoms as matrix containing at least one of hydrogen and halogen and exhibits photoconductivity, said layer containing carbon atoms and the distribution profile of the content of carbon atoms being uneven in the direction of the layer thickness and having a maximum value C.sub.max, wherein the layer comprises a lower layer region in which the content of carbon atom is distributed substantially uniformly in the layer thickness direction at a distribution content of C.sub.1, an upper layer region in which the content of carbon atom is distributed substantially uniformly in the layer thickness direction at a distribution content of C.sub.2 and an intermediate layer region sandwiched between both of said layers, in which the content of carbon atoms is distributed substantially uniformly in the layer thickness direction at a distribution content of C.sub.3, the values of C.sub.1 and C.sub.2 being respectively greater than the value of C.sub.3 and in which the carbon atoms in the lower layer region, intermediate layer region and upper layer regions being distributed evenly in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the support.