Process to form light-receiving member with outer layer made by alternately forming and etching

A process for producing a light-receiving member which comprises the steps of:

• (a) forming an outer layer on the surface of a light-receiving layer, said light-receiving layer supported by a substrate, said outer layer comprising a non-single-crystalline material comprising carbon atoms;
• (b) etching the surface of the outer layer so as to remove a portion of the outer layer;
• (c) forming a second outer layer of a non-single-crystalline material containing carbon atoms on the surface of the remaining outer surface after the step (b) is conducted;
• and
• (d) etching the surface of the second outer layer formed in the step (c), to form a surface layer on the light-receiving layer.

A process for producing a light-receiving member comprising the steps of:

• (a) etching a light-receiving layer on a substrate to remove a portion of the light-receiving layer;
• (b) forming on the surface of the light-receiving layer an outer layer, said outer layer comprising (i) a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms and at lease one kind of carbon atoms, oxygen atoms or nitrogen atoms or (ii) a non-single-crystalline material containing carbon atoms;
• and
• (c) etching the surface of the outer layer so as to remove a portion of the outer layer to form a surface layer.

A process for producing a light-receiving member which comprises the steps of:

• (a) forming an outer layer on the surface of a light-receiving layer, said light-receiving layer supported by a substrate, said outer layer comprising a non-single-crystalline material containing boron atoms and nitrogen atoms;
• (b) etching the surface of the outer layer so as to remove a portion of the outer layer;
• (c) forming a second outer layer of a non-single-crystalline material containing boron atoms and nitrogen atoms on the surface of the remaining outer surface after the step (b) is conducted;
• and
• (d) etching the surface of the second outer layer formed in the step (c), to form a surface layer on the light-receiving layer.