Process for producing negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member, negative-charging electrophotographic photosensitive member, and electrophotographic apparatus using same

A process for producing a negative charging electrophotographic photosensitive member having a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material;

• the process comprising the steps of:
• as a first step, the sub-steps comprising (a) placing a cylindrical substrate having a conductive surface in a film forming furnace connected to an evacuation means, having a source gas feed means and capable of being made vacuum-airtight, and decomposing a source gas by high frequency power to deposit on the substrate a photoconductive layer formed of at least a non-single-crystal material as a first layer and (b) forming on the surface side of said photoconductive layer in said first layer an upper-part blocking layer containing at least silicon and a Group 13 element in the periodic table;
• as a second step, first taking out of the film forming furnace the substrate on which the first layer has been deposited, and then;
• as a third step, removing protuberances at least at their vertexes on the surface of the first layer deposited in the first step;
• as a fourth step, placing the substrate having been subjected to the third step in a film forming furnace having an evacuation means and a source gas feed means and capable of being made vacuum-airtight, and subjecting the surface of the first-layer to plasma treatment with a gas composed of a source gas for feeding a Group 13 element in the periodic table and a dilution gas composed of at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, argon and helium;
• and
• as a fifth step, decomposing at least a source gas by a high frequency power to deposit on the first layer a layer formed of a non-single-crystal material as a second layer.