Glow discharge method and apparatus and photoreceptor devices made therewith
AssigneePlasma Physics Corp.
InventorJohn H. Coleman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Glow discharge method and apparatus useful for coating electrophotographic photoreceptors in the form of drums and plates are described. Improved photoreceptors using amorphous silicon which accepts a high surface voltage in the dark and discharges to a low residual voltage under illumination are also described.
Claims16
Apparatus for producing a semiconductor film on the surface of a substrate comprising an evacuable enclosure, means for evacuating said enclosure, means for introducing into the evacuated enclosure a gaseous semiconductor film forming material at subatmospheric pressure in the region of said substrate, counter-electrode means disposed within said enclosure in the region of said substrate, a source of electrical potential for providing an electric field between said counter electrode means and said substrate, means for controlling the pressure of said gaseous semiconductor film forming material so as to maintain a glow discharge in the region of said substrate, and means for heating said counter-electrode means so as to increase the conductivity of said semiconductor material so as to increase the uniformity of the glow discharge so as to produce a substantially uniform semiconductor film on the surface of said substrate.
Apparatus for producing a semiconductor film on the surfaces of articles comprising an evacuable enclosure, means for evacuating said enclosure, electrode means for holding within said enclosure a plurality of articles separated from each other by a distance, means for introducing into the evacuated enclosure a gaseous film forming material at subatmospheric pressure in the region of the articles, counter-electrode means for applying an electric field to a pair of the said articles within said enclosure, means for controlling the pressure to maintain the negative glow region of a glow discharge adjacent the surfaces of the articles, the distance separating the articles being sufficiently short that the negative glow regions interact to reduce the voltage required to maintain the glow discharge.
The method of producing a film on a plurality of articles in an evacuable enclosure, which includes the steps of evacuating said enclosure, introducing a gaseout material at subatmospheric pressure in the region of said articles, applying an electric field between a counter electrode and a pair of said articles spaced apart by a separation, and controlling said pressure in relation to said separation to maintain negative glow region of a glow discharge adjacent the surfaces of said articles, the distance separating said articles being sufficiently short that the negative glow regions interact to reduce the voltage required to maintain the glow discharge.
The method of etching a plurality of articles in an evacuable enclosure which includes the steps of evacuating said enclosure, introducing a gaseous material comprising a reaction gas at subatmospheric pressure in the region of said articles, applying an electric field between a counter electrode and a pair of said articles spaced apart by a separation, and controlling said pressure in relation to said separation to maintain the negative glow region of a glow discharge adjacent the surfaces of said articles, the distance separating said articles being sufficiently short that the negative glow regions interact to reduce the voltage required to maintain the glow discharge.
Apparatus for etching a plurality of articles comprising an evacuable enclosure, means for introducing into said enclosure gaseous material comprising a reactive gas at subatmospheric pressure in the region of said articles, counterelectrode means for applying an electric field to a pair of the said articles within said enclosure, means for controlling the pressure to maintain the negative glow region of a glow discharge adjacent the surfaces of the articles, the distance separating the articles being sufficiently short so that the negative glow regions interact to reduce the voltage required to maintain the glow discharge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.