JP2005163164A - Deposited film forming apparatus and deposited film forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a deposited film forming apparatus and deposited film forming method which realize large reduction of the occurrence of spherical projections without sacrificing electrical characteristics and further realize shortening of the deposited film forming time, improvement of the efficiency of use of gaseous raw materials and reduction of a production cost. <P>SOLUTION: The deposited film forming apparatus and deposited film forming method for forming the deposited films having good characteristics on a plurality of cylindrical substrates by arranging the plurality of substrates at equal intervals on the same circumference, arranging high-frequency electric power introducing means outside a reaction vessel, and introducing the high-frequency electric power therein, are characterized in that the cylindrical substrates constituted by combining conductive members and insulating members are installed within a region enclosed by the cylindrical substrates arranged on the same circumference. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming a deposited film on a substrate. More particularly, the present invention relates to a deposited film forming apparatus and a deposited film forming method used for a functional film, particularly a semiconductor device, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, an image input line sensor, a photographing device, a photovoltaic device, and the like.

  Conventionally, as a deposition film forming method used for forming semiconductor devices, electrophotographic photosensitive members, line sensors for image input, photographing devices, photovoltaic devices, other various electronic elements, optical elements, etc., plasma CVD method, ion plating method Many methods using plasma generated by high-frequency power, such as a plasma etching method, are known, and an apparatus therefor has been put into practical use.

  For example, a plasma CVD method, that is, a method of decomposing a source gas by high-frequency glow discharge and forming a thin film-like deposited film on a substrate has been put to practical use as a suitable deposited film forming means. In the following, it is used for the formation of a deposited film and the like, and various apparatuses have been proposed.

  In particular, plasma CVD (hereinafter abbreviated as “VHF-PCVD”) using high-frequency power in the VHF band is attracting attention, and the development of various deposited films using this VHF-PCVD method is active. It is being advanced. This is because the VHF-PCVD method has a relatively high deposition rate, and a high-quality deposited film can be obtained, so that it is expected that the cost of the product and the quality can be improved at the same time. is there. Development of a deposited film forming apparatus capable of simultaneously forming a plurality of a-Si electrophotographic photoreceptors and having high productivity is in progress.

For example, by arranging a part of the reaction vessel as a dielectric member and arranging a plurality of cathode electrodes on the outside of the reaction vessel, uniform high-frequency discharge can be easily achieved in a large area, and plasma treatment on a large area substrate can be performed uniformly and An apparatus that can be performed at high speed is disclosed. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram as an example of such a deposited film forming apparatus.

2A is a schematic cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a cutting line AA ′ in FIG. 2A. The reaction vessel 201 includes a dielectric member 201 (a) and an upper lid 201 (b). An exhaust pipe 209 is connected to the lower part of the reaction vessel 201, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 209 is connected to an exhaust device (not shown) (for example, a vacuum pump). A plurality of cylindrical substrates 205 on which deposited films are formed are arranged on the same circumference so as to be parallel to each other so as to surround the central portion of the reaction vessel 201. The plurality of cylindrical substrates 205 are each held by a substrate support 206 having a substrate heating heater 207 incorporated therein. In the reaction vessel 201, there is a gas supply means 210 connected to a gas supply device (not shown) composed of gas cylinders such as SiH4, GeH4, H2, CH4, B2H6, PH3, Ar, and He. Is provided with high-frequency power introducing means 202. A high frequency power supply 203 is connected to the high frequency power introducing means 202 via a matching box 204 and a high frequency power branching means 212. Further, the cylindrical base body 205 can be rotated by each rotation mechanism 208.
JP 9-310181 A

    With such a conventional deposited film forming apparatus and method, it is possible to shorten the substrate processing time by increasing the film deposition rate, increase the number of simultaneously processable substrates, and improve the uniformity and reproducibility of the deposited film characteristics. It has become possible to obtain an electrophotographic photosensitive member that is inexpensive and has practical characteristics and uniformity. Further, if the inside of the vacuum reaction vessel is strictly cleaned, it is possible to obtain an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a certain number of defects.

  However, the level of market demand for products using these deposited films is increasing day by day, and higher quality deposited films are being demanded to meet this demand.

  In other words, in recent years, demand for image defects is more severe than ever in color copying machines, for which demand is rapidly expanding. However, in a product that requires a relatively thick deposited film with a large area, such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member, dust is easily generated during the manufacturing process because the manufacturing process of the photosensitive member takes a long time, and Since the area of the deposition surface is large, the probability of dust adhering tends to increase. Since the abnormal growth of the deposited film due to dust is directly connected to the image defect, it is necessary to eliminate it as much as possible.

  Therefore, in order to obtain a deposited film with a high yield in which the film deposition rate is high, the requirements of optical and electrical characteristics are satisfied, and the image formation by the electrophotographic process is small, there is a problem to be improved. It remained.

  The abnormal growth of the deposited film that occurs in the manufacturing process of the photosensitive member is as follows.

  The a-Si film has the property that, when dust of the order of several μm adheres to the substrate surface, abnormal growth, that is, so-called “spherical protrusions” grow with the dust as a nucleus during film formation. Spherical protrusions have a shape that is a reversal of the conical shape starting from dust, and there are many localized levels at the interface between the normal deposition part and the spherical protrusion part, so the resistance decreases, and the charged charge passes through the interface. Will come off to the substrate side. For this reason, the part with the spherical protrusion appears as a white point in the solid black image on the image (in the case of reversal development, it appears as a black point in the solid white image). The so-called “pochi” image defect has a stricter standard every year, and depending on the size, even if there are several A3 sheets, they may be treated as defective. Furthermore, the standard becomes more stringent when mounted on a color copying machine, and even if one is present on A3 paper, it may be defective.

  Since these spherical protrusions start from dust, the substrate to be used is precisely cleaned before film formation, and all the steps to be installed in the film formation apparatus are performed in a clean room or under vacuum. In this way, efforts have been made to reduce the amount of dust adhering to the substrate before the start of film formation, and the effect has been improved. However, the cause of the generation of the spherical protrusion is not only the dust adhering to the substrate. That is, when an a-Si photoconductor is manufactured, the required film thickness is very large, from several μm to several tens of μm, and therefore the film formation time ranges from several hours to several tens of hours. In addition to this, it also deposits on the reactor wall and the structures in the reactor. Since these furnace walls and structures do not have a controlled surface or temperature like the substrate, the adhesion is weak in some cases, and film peeling may occur during film formation over a long period of time. If even a slight peeling occurs during the film formation, it becomes dust and adheres to the surface of the photoreceptor being deposited, and this causes the abnormal growth of the spherical projections. Therefore, in order to maintain a high yield, careful management is required not only for management of the substrate before film formation but also for prevention of film peeling in the film formation furnace during film formation. The manufacture of the photoreceptor was difficult.

[Object of the invention]
The object of the present invention is to overcome various problems in the conventional electrophotographic photosensitive member as described above, specifically, image defects caused by spherical protrusions without sacrificing electrical characteristics, and stably at low cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a deposited film forming apparatus and a deposited film forming method capable of manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member with high image quality that can be manufactured with high yield.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors have arranged a plurality of cylindrical substrates at equal intervals on the same circumference, and arranged high-frequency power introduction means outside the reaction vessel. In the deposited film forming apparatus and method that can form a deposited film having good characteristics on the substrate by introducing the inside of the region surrounded by the cylindrical substrate disposed on the same circumference In addition, it has been found that it is possible to significantly reduce the occurrence of spherical projections by installing a cylindrical member having a combination of a conductive member and an insulating member, and the present invention has been completed. is there.

  That is, the present invention comprises a reaction vessel that can be depressurized, at least partly composed of a dielectric member, a plurality of cylindrical substrates disposed on the same circumference inside the reaction vessel, a raw material gas introduction means, A plurality of high-frequency power introduction means arranged outside the reaction vessel, and applying high-frequency power to the high-frequency power introduction means to generate glow discharge in the reaction vessel, In a deposition film forming apparatus that decomposes the introduced source gas and forms a deposition film on the plurality of cylindrical substrates, the conductive member and the insulating member are combined in the arrangement circle in which the cylindrical substrate is disposed. The present invention relates to a deposited film forming apparatus and method having a cylindrical member having the above-described configuration.

  According to the present invention, a deposited film having good characteristics can be formed on a plurality of substrates uniformly with good reproducibility and at a high film deposition rate, and at the same time, image defects caused by spherical projections can be extremely reduced. It is.

  The embodiment of the present invention capable of obtaining the above effects will be described in detail below.

  In the deposited film forming apparatus in which a plurality of cylindrical substrates are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference and the high-frequency power introducing means is arranged outside the reaction vessel, the adhesion of the deposited film is improved. When a method for reducing the generation of dust was examined, it was found that the configuration around the cylindrical substrate was asymmetric. Roughly speaking, this asymmetry can be considered by dividing it into the inside and the outside of the arrangement circle of the cylindrical substrate, and there is a possibility that the adhesion and stress of the film are different between the inside and the outside.

  Therefore, in order to confirm the influence of this asymmetry, the film was formed with the cylindrical substrate stationary, and the distribution of spherical projections in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical substrate was examined. As a result, it was found that the number of spherical protrusions was not evenly generated in the circumferential direction, but was frequently generated inside the arrangement circle of the cylindrical substrate. In other words, in order to improve the spherical protrusion in the deposited film forming apparatus of such a form and reduce the image defect to a level that can withstand use in a color copying machine, it is necessary to mainly reduce the inner spherical protrusion. Turned out to be.

  The reason why many spherical protrusions occur inside the arrangement circle of the cylindrical substrate is currently unknown, but when looking at the structure of the deposited film forming apparatus, the outer circumference of the circumference where the cylindrical substrates are arranged is the furnace of the deposited film forming apparatus. While the wall is facing, there is no furnace wall on the inside, and this difference in the shape of the space causes a difference in the film stress of the deposited film, affecting the adhesion. I imagine that would have given.

In contrast, in the deposited film forming apparatus in which a cylindrical member made of a conductive member (for example, a metal member) that is grounded is installed in the internal space of a plurality of cylindrical substrates, the number of spherical projections in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical substrate is As a result of the examination, it was found that the incidence of spherical protrusions was reduced on the inner side, and the distribution of spherical protrusions was almost uniform in the circumferential direction. This is thought to be because the cylindrical member installed in the internal space of the plurality of cylindrical bases has a function corresponding to the furnace wall on the inner side, and the internal and external structures are symmetric while being simulated.
However, when viewed in the axial direction of the cylindrical substrate, the inside tends to improve, but the incidence of spherical protrusions tends to be slightly higher on the lower side.
Further, a deposited film is formed by installing a cylindrical member made of an insulating member in an internal space of a plurality of cylindrical substrates, with the distance between the furnace wall and the cylindrical substrate substantially equal to the distance between the cylindrical substrate and the cylindrical member. In the apparatus, the distribution of the number of spherical protrusions in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical substrate was examined. Similarly, although the incidence of the inner spherical protrusions decreased and the distribution of spherical protrusions in the circumferential direction tended to improve, The incidence of spherical protrusions was higher than when using a cylindrical member.
In addition, as a side effect at this time, a deposited film also adheres to the cylindrical member, and thus a phenomenon has occurred in which the deposition rate of the film deposited on the cylindrical substrate is slightly reduced.
Furthermore, in the deposited film forming apparatus in which a cylindrical member comprising a combination of a conductive member on the lower side and an insulating member on the upper side is installed in the internal space of the plurality of cylindrical substrates, the circumferential direction of the cylindrical substrate is similarly When the distribution of the number of spherical protrusions was examined, it was found that the occurrence rate of the spherical protrusions on the lower side of the cylindrical substrate was lower than that of the cylindrical member made of a conductive member.
From these results, by arranging the cylindrical member in the internal space of multiple cylindrical bases, it has a function equivalent to the furnace wall on the inner side, and the internal and external structures are symmetric while being simulated, the shape of the space It is presumed that the occurrence of spherical projections due to film peeling or the like is suppressed by the effect of relaxing the difference in the film stress of the deposited film and improving the adhesion of the film due to the difference in thickness.
Further, the internal space of the cylindrical substrate has a high VHF power on the upper side, and sufficient power is supplied to obtain electrical characteristics and image characteristics. On the other hand, it is considered that the lower side has a low power.
When a cylindrical member made of a conductive member is used in the internal space of the cylindrical base, it is considered that the VHF power is widened by the antenna effect, and the VHF power on the lower side is increased.
Further, in the case where a cylindrical member comprising a combination of a conductive member on the lower side and an insulating member on the upper side is installed in the internal space of the plurality of cylindrical bases, an apparatus that concentrates the VHF power on the lower side It is assumed that the incidence of spherical protrusions is further reduced on the lower side of the cylindrical substrate.

  That is, since the VHF power is sufficiently included in the upper side, it is only necessary to obtain an effect of filling the space, and the VHF power needs to be increased on the lower side. Therefore, as in the present invention, by installing a cylindrical member in a combination of a conductive member on the lower side and an insulating member on the upper side in the internal space of the plurality of cylindrical substrates, It is possible to reduce the spherical protrusions of the cylindrical substrate without lowering the deposition rate of the film to be deposited, and it is possible to achieve extremely small image defects due to the spherical protrusions.

In the present invention, the length of the insulating member on the upper side of the cylindrical member provided in the internal space of the plurality of cylindrical bases is 0.1 to 8.5 times the length of the conductive member on the lower side. Are suitable.
Moreover, the part comprised by the electroconductive member of the lower part side of a cylindrical member is earth | grounded.
Further, during the examination of the present invention, it has been found that the diameter of the cylindrical member can be reduced while maintaining the spherical protrusion reduction effect. On the other hand, it has been confirmed that the deposition rate is greatly improved by reducing the diameter of the cylindrical member, and if the size is below a certain level, the decrease in the deposition rate can be substantially improved to a negligible level. confirmed.

  As described above, in order to maintain the spherical protrusion improvement effect without reducing the deposition rate in the present invention, the diameter of the cylindrical member needs to be within a certain range. That is, the diameter of the cylindrical member is determined by subtracting the diameter of the cylindrical substrate from the diameter of the inscribed circle inscribed in the space surrounded by the plurality of cylindrical substrates (that is, the diameter of the circle connecting the central axes of the plurality of cylindrical substrates). It was found that the spherical protrusion improvement effect and the deposition rate maintenance are compatible only when the value is 0.1 to 0.8 times, more preferably 0.2 to 0.5 times.

  In addition, the overall length of the combined cylindrical member with the conductive member on the lower side and the insulating member on the upper side was optimally 0.5 to 0.98 times the height of the reaction vessel of the deposited film forming apparatus. .

  The present invention has been completed by the above process.

As described above, according to the present invention, a reaction vessel that can be depressurized, at least partially composed of a dielectric member, a plurality of cylindrical substrates disposed on the same circumference inside the reaction vessel, and a raw material Having a gas introduction means and a plurality of high frequency power introduction means arranged outside the reaction vessel, applying high frequency power to the high frequency power introduction means, and generating glow discharge in the reaction vessel, In a deposited film forming apparatus for decomposing a source gas introduced into the reaction vessel and forming a deposited film on the plurality of cylindrical substrates,
By having a cylindrical member composed of a combination of a conductive member and an insulating member in the arrangement circle in which the cylindrical substrate is disposed, the generation of spherical protrusions can be greatly reduced without deteriorating electrical characteristics. Became possible. Furthermore, the deposition film formation time can be shortened and the utilization efficiency of the raw material gas can be improved, and the production cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, a deposited film forming apparatus and a deposited film forming method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a highly productive apparatus capable of simultaneously forming a plurality of electrophotographic photosensitive members by the deposited film forming apparatus and method of the present invention.

  FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line A-A ′ of FIG. The deposited film manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 restricts a film formation space in which a source gas is decomposed to a cylindrical region by a reaction vessel 101 composed of a dielectric member 101 (a) and an upper lid 101 (b). The center axis of the space passes through the center of the cylindrical substrate 105 arrangement circle, and the high-frequency power introduction means 102 installed outside the arrangement circle of the cylindrical substrate 105 is positioned outside the dielectric member 101 (a). As a result, the utilization efficiency of the source gas is improved, and at the same time, defects in the deposited film to be formed can be reduced.

An exhaust pipe 109 is connected to the lower part of the reaction vessel 101, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 109 is connected to an exhaust device (not shown) (for example, a vacuum pump). A plurality of cylindrical substrates 105 on which a deposited film is formed are arranged on the same circumference so as to be parallel to each other so as to surround the central portion of the reaction vessel 101. The plurality of cylindrical substrates 105 are respectively held by a substrate support 106 in which a substrate heating heater 107 is incorporated. In the reaction vessel 101, roughly at the center, the upper side is an insulating member 111 (a), the lower side is a conductive member 111 (b)
There is a gas supply means 110 connected to a gas supply device (not shown) consisting of a gas cylinder such as SiH4, GeH4, H2, CH4, B2H6, PH3, Ar, He, etc. Outside, a high-frequency power introducing means 102 is installed. A high frequency power supply 103 is connected to the high frequency power introducing means 102 through a matching box 104 and a high frequency power branching means 112. Further, the cylindrical base body 105 can be rotated by each rotating mechanism 108.

  Here, the insulating member 111 (a) on the upper side of the cylindrical member 111 can be any insulating material, but alumina, titanium dioxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, zircon, congelate, zircon-congelate, oxidation It is preferable to use silicon beryllium mica-based ceramics. In addition, composite materials composed of two or more of these materials are also preferably used.

  In addition, the conductive member 111 (b) on the lower side of the cylindrical member 111 can be any conductive material, but in the case of a metal material such as aluminum, iron, stainless steel, gold, silver, copper, nickel, chromium, titanium, It is preferable in terms of easy processing, high durability, and convenience of reuse. In addition, composite materials composed of two or more of these materials are also preferably used.

  At least a part of the surface of the cylindrical member 111 preferably has an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) in the range of 1 μm to 20 μm. This is because when Ra is 1 μm or more, the contact area with the a-Si deposited film is increased, and the adhesiveness is favorably affected. On the other hand, if Ra is too large, it becomes easy to take up dust, and this may cause spherical protrusions when discharged. Therefore, Ra is preferably in the range of 1 μm to 20 μm.

Further, the surface of the cylindrical member 111 is preferably controlled so that Ra is within the above range and the average inclination angle (θa) is in the range of 9 degrees to 20 degrees. θa is an index corresponding to the slope of the surface roughness, and by setting this to a range of 9 to 20 degrees, the unevenness of the surface becomes deep and the adhesion is further improved. As shown in FIG. 3, the average inclination angle (θa) is expressed as an arc tangent (θa = tan ⁻¹ Δa) of the average value (Δa) of the total absolute values of the local inclinations of the measurement curve.

  It is also preferable to set Ra within the above-mentioned range and at the same time the average interval (S) between the local peaks is in the range of 30 μm to 100 μm. S is an index corresponding to the interval between the convex and concave portions of the concave and convex portions. By setting this value to 30 to 100 μm, the concave and convex portions on the surface are deepened and the adhesion is further improved.

  Furthermore, it has been clarified through experiments by the inventors that Ra, θa, and S are all within the above ranges, and the improvement in adhesion is particularly remarkable. This is because by setting Ra, θa, and S within a certain range, the contact area between the member and the deposited film can be made more optimal, and the stress of the film deposited on the member can be easily relaxed, resulting in adhesion. I think this is because of the increase.

  The surface roughness used in the present invention was measured based on JIS B0601-1994 using Surftest SJ-400 (Mitutoyo Co., Ltd.) with a cutoff of 0.8 mm, a reference length of 0.8 mm, and an evaluation length of 4 mm.

  In order to control the surface roughness of the cylindrical member 111 within the above range, blasting or coating with a thermal spray material may be performed. Blasting and thermal spraying are preferable from the viewpoint of cost, high controllability of surface roughness, and difficulty in being limited by the size and shape of the coating target.

  Although the specific means for thermal spraying is not particularly limited, the surface may be coated by a coating method such as plasma spraying, low-pressure plasma spraying, high-speed flame spraying, or low-temperature spraying. As a specific thermal spray material, the insulating member 111 (a) on the upper side of the cylindrical member 111 is preferably a ceramic material, and specifically, alumina, titanium dioxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, zircon, and congerate. It is preferable to use a material containing at least one of zircon-congelate, silicon oxide beryllium oxide mica-based ceramic and the like because the adhesion of the deposited film is high and effective for preventing the formation of spherical protrusions. Among these, alumina, boron nitride, and aluminum nitride are more preferable because they are excellent in electrical characteristics such as dielectric loss tangent and insulation resistance, and absorb less high frequency power. Examples of the conductive member 111 (b) on the lower side of the cylindrical member 111 include aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, titanium dioxide, and iron.

  The thickness of the thermal spray material covering the surface of the cylindrical member 111 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 10 μm to 500 μm from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost, in order to increase durability and uniformity.

  In the deposited film forming apparatus 101 of the present invention, the conductive member 111 (b) on the lower side of the cylindrical member 111 needs to be electrically grounded. By grounding, it is presumed that the high-frequency power introducing means 102 is acting as a pseudo counter electrode. On the contrary, since the conductive member 111 (b) on the lower side of the cylindrical member 111 can sufficiently obtain the effects of the present invention by simply grounding, the conductive member 111 on the lower side of the cylindrical member 111, for example. (b) Prepare another high-frequency power source for use, or branch the output from one high-frequency power source 103 to the high-frequency power introducing means 102 and the conductive member 111 (b) on the lower side of the cylindrical member 111 for matching. Therefore, the cost of the deposited film forming apparatus 101 itself can be reduced, which leads to a reduction in manufacturing cost of the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

  In the present invention, the effect of reducing image defects is particularly high when the frequency of the high frequency power is in the range of 50 to 450 MHz. This seems to be due to the rapid increase in pressure at which plasma can be stably generated in a frequency region lower than 50 MHz. According to the study by the present inventors, for example, when the frequency is 13.56 MHz, it is confirmed that the pressure at which plasma can be stably generated is about one to half digits higher than that when the frequency is 50 MHz or more. ing. At such a high pressure, particles such as polysilane are easily generated in the film formation space, and when these particles are taken into the deposited film, spherical protrusions are easily generated. In the present invention, since the plasma generation pressure can be sufficiently lowered by setting the frequency of the high frequency power to 50 MHz or more, the generation probability of particles is drastically reduced, and a good deposited film is formed over the entire circumference of the cylindrical substrate. It is considered a thing.

  Further, in a frequency region higher than 450 MHz, the uniformity of the film characteristics is different from the case of 450 MHz or less due to a decrease in plasma uniformity. If there is a difference in the uniformity of such film characteristics, there will also be a difference in the stress of the film at the same time, and film peeling is likely to occur near the boundary. For this reason, image defects are likely to deteriorate. In the frequency region where the frequency is higher than 450 MHz, the power absorption near the power introduction means is large, and electrons are most frequently generated here, so that plasma non-uniformity is likely to occur and the characteristics of the deposited film are uneven. Easy to connect. At frequencies of 450 MHz or less, extreme power absorption in the vicinity of the power introduction means is unlikely to occur, resulting in high plasma uniformity and even film property uniformity.

  As the high frequency power source 103, any device can be suitably used as long as it can generate high frequency power suitable for the apparatus. Further, the output fluctuation rate of the high frequency power supply 103 is not particularly limited.

  The matching box 104 used in the present invention can be suitably used in any configuration as long as the high frequency power supply 103 and the load can be matched. In addition, as a method of taking the alignment, an automatically adjusted method is preferable in order to avoid complexity at the time of manufacturing, but even if manually adjusted, there is no influence on the effect of the present invention. . In addition, as for the position where the matching box 104 is disposed, there is no problem wherever the matching box 104 can be placed within the range where matching can be achieved, but the layout is made so that the inductance of the wiring from the matching box 104 to the high-frequency power introducing means 102 is made as small as possible. This is desirable because it enables matching under a wide range of load conditions.

  Copper, aluminum, gold, silver, platinum, lead, nickel, cobalt, iron, chrome, molybdenum, titanium, stainless steel, etc. are good materials for heat conduction and high-frequency power introduction means 102 and high-frequency power branch means 112. It is preferable because it is good. A composite material composed of two or more of these materials is also preferably used.

  More preferably, the number of high-frequency power introducing means 102 is the same as the number of cylindrical bases 105 or 1/2 of the cylindrical bases 105. When the half of the cylindrical base body 105 is used, it is optimal that the distance between two adjacent cylindrical base bodies 105 is equal. The supply of power to the plurality of high-frequency power introducing means 102 can be performed, for example, by branching the power supply path by the high-frequency power branching means 112 after passing through the matching box 104 from one high-frequency power supply 103. Further, for example, after a power supply path is branched from one high-frequency power source 103 by the high-frequency power branching means 112, power may be supplied through a plurality of matching boxes, and further, for example, individual high-frequency power introducing means 102 A separate high frequency power supply and a matching box may be provided for each, but the frequency of the high frequency power introduced from all the high frequency power introduction means 102 is completely the same, the cost of the device, the size of the device Therefore, it is preferable that power is supplied to all high-frequency power introducing means 102 from one high-frequency power source.

  As the high-frequency power introducing means 102, rod-shaped, cylindrical, plate-shaped cathode electrodes, means for providing an opening in the outer conductor of the coaxial structure, and supplying power from there can be used.

  The material of the dielectric member 101 (a) of the reaction vessel 101 used in the present invention is preferably a ceramic material. Specifically, alumina, titanium dioxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, zircon, congelate, zircon- It is preferable to use a material including at least one of congelate, silicon oxide beryllium oxide mica ceramic, etc., because the adhesion of the deposited film is high and effective for preventing the occurrence of spherical protrusions. Among these, alumina, boron nitride, and aluminum nitride are more preferable because they are excellent in electrical characteristics such as dielectric loss tangent and insulation resistance, and absorb less high frequency power.

  Further, when producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member from the viewpoint of ease of processing, the shape of the dielectric member 101 (a) of the reaction vessel 101 is preferably a cylindrical shape, but if necessary, an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape is used. The shape may be selected depending on the member to be manufactured.

  At least a part of the surface of the dielectric member 101 (a) of the reaction vessel 101 preferably has an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) in the range of 1 μm to 20 μm in order to increase the effect of reducing spherical protrusions. In addition, Ra is controlled within the above range, and the average inclination angle (θa) is controlled within the range of 9 degrees to 20 degrees, or Ra is set within the above range, and at the same time, the average interval (S) between the local peaks is 30 μm. More preferably, it is in the range of 100 μm or less. Further, by making Ra, θa, and S all within the above ranges, the image defect improvement effect becomes particularly remarkable.

  If the material of the top lid 101 (b) of the reaction vessel 101 is copper, aluminum, gold, silver, platinum, lead, nickel, cobalt, iron, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, stainless steel, etc., it is conductive and can conduct heat. It is preferable because it is good. A composite material composed of two or more of these materials is also preferably used.

  The cylindrical base 105 only needs to have a material according to the purpose of use. Of the materials, copper, aluminum, gold, silver, platinum, lead, nickel, cobalt, iron, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, and stainless steel are preferable because of their good electrical conductivity. Furthermore, a composite material composed of two or more of these materials is also desirable for improving heat resistance.

  The substrate heating heater 107 may be a heating element having a vacuum specification. Specifically, it is an electric resistance heating element such as a sheathed heater, a plate heater, a ceramic heater, or a carbon heater, and heat radiation such as a halogen lamp or an infrared lamp. Examples include a heating element using a heat exchange means using a lamp heating element, liquid, gas, or the like as a heating medium. As the surface material of the substrate heating heater 107, metals such as stainless steel, nickel, aluminum, and copper, ceramics, heat resistant polymer resins, and the like can be used.

  Formation of a deposited film using the deposited film forming apparatus of FIG. 1 is performed, for example, as follows.

  First, the cylindrical substrate 105 held by the substrate holder 106 is installed in the reaction vessel 101, and the inside of the reaction vessel 101 is exhausted through an exhaust port 109 by an exhaust device (not shown). Subsequently, the cylindrical base 105 is heated and controlled to a predetermined temperature by the heating element 107.

  When the cylindrical substrate 105 reaches a predetermined temperature, the source gas is introduced into the reaction vessel 101 through the source gas supply means 110. After confirming that the flow rate of the raw material gas becomes the set flow rate and the pressure in the reaction vessel 101 is stable, predetermined high frequency power is supplied from the high frequency power source 103 to the high frequency power introducing means 102 via the matching box 104. Glow discharge occurs in the reaction vessel 101 by the supplied high frequency power, and the source gas is excited and dissociated to form a deposited film on the cylindrical substrate 105.

  After the formation of the desired film thickness, the supply of the high frequency power is stopped, and then the supply of the source gas is stopped to finish the formation of the deposited film. When forming a multi-layered deposited film, the same operation is repeated a plurality of times. In this case, in each layer, as described above, once the formation of one layer is completed, the discharge is once stopped completely, and after the setting is changed to the gas flow rate and pressure of the next layer, the discharge occurs again. The next layer may be formed, or a plurality of layers may be continuously formed by gradually changing the gas flow rate, pressure, and high-frequency power to the set values of the next layer within a certain period of time after the formation of one layer. It may be formed. In addition, it is preferable to sufficiently evacuate the residual gas in the reaction vessel 101 once between the layers, because there is no fear of contamination when different gas species are used between the layers.

  During the formation of the deposited film, the cylindrical substrate 105 may be rotated at a predetermined speed by the rotation mechanism 108 as necessary.

  By using the present invention, for example, an a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member as shown in FIG. 4 can be formed.

  An electrophotographic photosensitive member 1200 shown in FIG. 4A includes amorphous silicon (hereinafter referred to as “a-Si: H, X”) containing a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom as a constituent element on a support 1201. A photoconductive layer 1202 having photoconductivity is provided.

  An electrophotographic photosensitive member 1200 shown in FIG. 4B has a photoconductive layer 1202 made of a-Si: H, X and having photoconductivity on a support 1201, and an amorphous silicon type (or amorphous carbon type). A surface layer 1203 is provided.

  An electrophotographic photosensitive member 1200 shown in FIG. 4C has an amorphous silicon-based charge injection blocking layer 1204 and a photoconductive layer 1202 made of a-Si: H, X and having photoconductivity on a support 1201. An amorphous silicon (or amorphous carbon) surface layer 1203 is provided.

  In the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1200 shown in FIG. 4D, a photoconductive layer 1202 is provided on a support 1201. The photoconductive layer 1202 includes a charge generation layer 1205 and a charge transport layer 1206 made of a-Si: H, X, and an amorphous silicon (or amorphous carbon) surface layer 1203 is provided thereon.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention in more detail, this invention is not restrict | limited at all by these.
(Example 1)
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the above-described deposited film forming method is performed on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 105 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm according to the conditions shown in Table 1 with the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power source 103 set to 105 MHz. An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a Si deposited film was formed.

  The cylindrical member is made by dividing the material on the upper side into alumina and the material on the lower side into two, and the diameter is 0.3 times the diameter of the region surrounded by the cylindrical base, and the length is The height of the reaction vessel was 0.95 times. The surface of the cylindrical member was Ra = 7 ± 1 μm, θa = 15 ± 2 degrees, and S = 50 ± 10 μm by blasting on both the upper side and the lower side.

(Comparative Example 1)
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2, an a-Si photosensitive member was formed under the conditions shown in Table 1 in the same manner as in Example 1. Although the cylindrical member was not provided in this comparative example, other film forming conditions were exactly the same as those in Example 1.

The a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member prepared in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 was evaluated by the following method.
(Number of spherical protrusions)
The surface of the obtained photoreceptor was observed with an optical microscope. Then, the number of spherical protrusions having a size of 10 μm or more was counted, and the number per 10 cm ² was examined.

  The obtained results were ranked by relative comparison when the value in Comparative Example 1 was 100%.

◎… Less than 30%
○ ～ ◎… 30% to less than 50%
○… 50% or more and less than 70%
△ ～ ○… 70% or more and less than 95%
△… 95% or more and less than 105%
×… Increase to over 105%
(Image defect)
The electrophotographic photosensitive member produced in this example was installed in the Canon iR5000 modified for this test, the process speed was 265 mm / sec, the pre-exposure (LED with a wavelength of 660 nm), the amount of light 4 lx · s, the current of the main charger An image was formed under the condition of a value of 1000 μA, and an A3 size black original was copied. The entire area of the image thus obtained was observed, and the number of white spots caused by spherical protrusions having a diameter of 0.2 mm or more was counted.

  The obtained results were ranked by relative comparison when the value in Comparative Example 1 was 100%.

◎… Less than 30%
○ ～ ◎… 30% to less than 50%
○… 50% or more and less than 70%
△ ～ ○… 70% or more and less than 95%
△… 95% or more and less than 105%
×… Increase to over 105%
(Chargeability)
A constant current (for example, 1000 μA) was passed through the main charger of the electrophotographic apparatus, and the dark portion potential was measured by a potential sensor of a surface electrometer (TREK Model 344) set at the position of the developer. Therefore, the larger the dark part potential, the better the charging ability. The charging ability was measured over the entire region in the direction of the photoreceptor bus, and the average value was taken. The evaluation result of charging ability was based on the result of Comparative Example 1.

◎… 10% or better
○ ... 5% or more and less than 10% improvement
△… Less than 5% improvement
×… worse
(sensitivity)
After adjusting the main charger current so that the dark part potential at the developing unit position becomes a constant value (for example, 450 V), a predetermined white paper having a reflection density of 0.1 or less is used for the original, and the bright part potential at the developing unit position is predetermined. Evaluation is based on the amount of image exposure when adjusting the image exposure (semiconductor laser with a wavelength of 655 nm) so as to be a value. Therefore, the smaller the image exposure amount, the better the sensitivity. Sensitivity was measured over the entire region in the direction of the photoreceptor bus, and the average value was taken. Therefore, the smaller the value, the better. The evaluation result of sensitivity was based on the result of Comparative Example 1.

◎… 10% or better
○ ... 5% or more and less than 10% improvement
△… Less than 5% improvement
×… worse
(Optical memory)
After adjusting the current value of the main charger so that the dark portion potential at the developing unit position becomes a predetermined value, the image exposure light amount is adjusted so that the bright portion potential when the predetermined white paper is used as a document has a predetermined value. . When a Canon ghost test chart (part number: FY9-9040) with a black circle with a reflection density of 1.1 and a diameter of 5 mm is placed on the platen and a Canon halftone chart is placed on top of it In this copy image, the difference between the reflection density of the black circle with a diameter of 5 mm and the reflection density of the halftone portion of the ghost chart recognized on the halftone copy was measured. The optical memory was measured over the entire area in the direction of the photoreceptor bus, and the average value was taken. Therefore, the smaller the value, the better. The evaluation result of the optical memory was based on the result of Comparative Example 1.

◎… 10% or better
○ ... 5% or more and less than 10% improvement
△… Less than 5% improvement
X ... Deterioration Table 2 shows the evaluation results of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. As can be seen from Table 2, it can be seen that spherical projections and image defects are greatly improved by providing a cylindrical member in the center of a region surrounded by a plurality of cylindrical substrates. In addition, although it was an unexpected effect, it was found that improvements were also made in the characteristics of the electrophotographic photosensitive member such as charging ability, sensitivity, and optical memory.

(Comparative Example 2-a)
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, an a-Si photoconductor was formed under the conditions shown in Table 1 in the same manner as in Example 1. In this comparative example, the cylindrical member was completely the same as Example 1 except that all stainless steel members were used.
(Comparative Example 2-b)
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, an a-Si photoconductor was formed under the conditions shown in Table 1 in the same manner as in Example 1. In this comparative example, the cylindrical members were all the same as those in Example 1 except that all of the cylindrical members were made of alumina.

The a-Si electrophotographic photoreceptors prepared in Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2 (a, b) were evaluated by the following methods.
(Spherical protrusion axial distribution)
The surface of the obtained photoreceptor was observed with an optical microscope. Then, the number of spherical protrusions having a size of 10 μm or more was counted in three axial directions, and the number per 10 cm ² was examined.

  The obtained results were ranked by relative comparison when the lower measured value in Comparative Example 1 was set to 100%, and the distribution of spherical protrusions in the axial direction was confirmed.

5… Pretty good
4 ... Slightly good
3 ... Equivalent
2… Somewhat worse
1 ... considerably worse

(Image defect)
In the same manner as in Example 1, evaluation of image defects was ranked by relative comparison when the value in Comparative Example 1 was 100%.

5… Pretty good
4 ... Slightly good
3 ... Equivalent
2… Somewhat worse
1 ... considerably deteriorated Table 3 shows the evaluation results of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2. As can be seen from Table 3, as in Example 1, a cylindrical member in which the upper side material is made of alumina and the lower side material is made of stainless steel in the middle of a region surrounded by a plurality of cylindrical substrates. It can be seen that the spherical protrusions and image defects were improved by providing.
In particular, the result of reducing the incidence of spherical protrusions on the lower side of the cylindrical substrate was obtained.

(Example 2)
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the above-described deposited film forming method is performed on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 105 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm according to the conditions shown in Table 1 with the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power supply 103 set to 50 MHz. An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a Si deposited film was formed.

  The diameter of the cylindrical member is 0.3 times the diameter of the region surrounded by the cylindrical substrate, the length is 0.95 times the height of the reaction vessel, the material on the upper side of the cylindrical member is made of alumina, and the material on the lower side Is made of stainless steel, and the ratio of the length of the upper insulating member portion to the lower conductive member is changed.

The surface of the cylindrical member was Ra = 7 ± 1 μm, θa = 15 ± 2 degrees, and S = 50 ± 10 μm by blasting on both the upper side and the lower side.
The spherical projection axis distribution and image defects of the a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member prepared in Example 2 were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.
The evaluation results of Example 2 are shown in Table 4. As can be seen from Table 4, the cylindrical member combining the insulating member and the conductive member has a length of the insulating member on the upper side 0.1 to 8.5 times the length of the conductive member on the lower side. This is suitable for the present invention.
A cylindrical member combining an insulating member and a conductive member has a cylindrical base when the length of the upper insulating member is 0.05 times or 9.0 times the length of the lower conductive member. Slight worsening of the spherical protrusion was observed when the magnification was 0.1 to 0.85 times on the lower side.

Example 3
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 105 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm, the above-mentioned deposition is performed according to the conditions shown in Table 5 with the oscillation frequency of the high-frequency power source 103 as the superposed frequency of 105 MHz and 60 MHz. An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an a-Si deposited film was formed by a film forming method.

  The diameter of the cylindrical member is 0.3 times the diameter of the region surrounded by the cylindrical substrate, the length is 0.95 times the height of the reaction vessel, the material on the upper side of the cylindrical member is made of alumina, and the material on the lower side Was made of aluminum, and the upper insulating member portion was 0.7 times the length of the lower conductive member.

The surface of the cylindrical member was Ra = 7 ± 1 μm, θa = 15 ± 2 degrees, and S = 50 ± 10 μm by blasting.
The a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member prepared in Example 3 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, good results were obtained as in Example 1.

Example 4
Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the above-described deposited film forming method is performed on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 105 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm according to the conditions shown in Table 1 with the oscillation frequency of the high frequency power supply 103 set to 50 MHz. An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a Si deposited film was formed. The diameter of the cylindrical member is 0.3 times the diameter of the region surrounded by the cylindrical substrate, the length is 0.9 times the height of the reaction vessel, the material on the upper side of the cylindrical member is made of alumina, and the material on the lower side Is made of nickel, and the upper insulating member portion is 0.7 times the length of the lower conductive member.

The surface of the cylindrical member was set to Ra = 7 ± 1 μm, θa = 15 ± 2 degrees, and S = 50 ± 10 μm by blasting.
The a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member prepared in Example 4 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, good results were obtained as in Example 1.
(Example 5)
1. Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, an electrophotographic photosensitive film composed of an a-Si deposited film on a cylindrical aluminum cylinder 105 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm in accordance with the conditions shown in Table 5 by the aforementioned deposited film forming method. Formed body. The cylindrical member was made of alumina on the upper side and made of stainless steel on the lower side, and the insulating member on the upper side was made 1.0 times the length of the lower conductive member.
The diameter of the cylindrical member was 0.5 times the diameter of the internal space of the cylindrical substrate, and the height was 0.6 times the height of the reaction vessel. The oscillation frequency of the high frequency power source 103 was set to a superposition frequency of 60 MHz and 105 MHz.

In this embodiment, Ra = 6 ± 1 μm, θa = 15 ± by spraying the surface of the conductive member on the lower side of the cylindrical member by using four kinds of materials of aluminum, nickel, stainless steel and titanium dioxide. Thermal spraying was performed twice so that S = 60 ± 10 μm, and film formation was performed four times using each material.
Note that the alumina cylindrical member on the upper side that has not been sprayed is also blasted so as to have a similar surface state.
When the a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member prepared in Example 5 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, all the a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive members had good results as in Example 1.

Example 6
1. Using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, on the cylindrical aluminum cylinder 105 having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 358 mm, in accordance with the conditions shown in Table 5, an electrophotographic photosensitive film comprising an a-Si deposited film by the aforementioned deposited film forming method. Formed body. The cylindrical member was made of alumina on the upper side and made of nickel on the lower side, and the insulating member on the upper side was made 1.0 times the length of the lower conductive member.
The diameter of the cylindrical member was 0.5 times the diameter of the internal space of the cylindrical substrate, and the height was 0.6 times the height of the reaction vessel. The oscillation frequency of the high frequency power source 103 was set to a superposition frequency of 60 MHz and 105 MHz.

In this embodiment, Ra = 6 ± 1 μm, θa = 15 ± 2 degrees, by spraying the surface of the insulating member on the upper side of the cylindrical member with two types of materials of alumina and zirconia, and a mixture of both. Thermal spraying was performed so that S = 60 ± 10 μm, and film formation was performed three times using each material.
Note that the nickel cylindrical member on the lower side that has not been subjected to thermal spraying is also blasted so as to have a similar surface state.
The a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive member prepared in Example 6 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, all a-Si electrophotographic photosensitive members had good results as in Example 1.

It is the typical block diagram which showed an example of the deposited film formation apparatus of this invention. It is the typical block diagram which showed an example of the manufacturing apparatus of the electrophotographic photoreceptor by the VHF plasma CVD method using the frequency of the conventional VHF band. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the definition of average inclination angle ((theta) a). FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a layer configuration of an electrophotographic photosensitive member that can be formed according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 reaction vessel
101 (a) Dielectric member
101 (b) Upper lid
102 High-frequency power introduction means
103 high frequency power supply
104 matching box
105 Cylindrical substrate
106 Substrate support
107 Substrate heating heater
108 Rotating mechanism
109 Exhaust piping
110 Gas supply means
111 Cylindrical member
111 (a) Upper insulating member
111 (b) Lower conductive member
201 reaction vessel
201 (a) Dielectric member
201 (b) Upper lid
202 High-frequency power introduction means
203 high frequency power supply
204 matching box
205 Cylindrical substrate
206 Substrate support
207 Substrate heating heater
208 Rotating mechanism
209 Exhaust piping
210 Gas supply means
1200 electrophotographic photoreceptor
1201 Support
1202 Photoconductive layer
1203 Surface layer
1204 Charge injection blocking layer
1205 Charge generation layer
1206 Charge transport layer

Claims (18)

A reaction vessel capable of being depressurized, at least a part of which is made of a dielectric member, a plurality of cylindrical substrates disposed on the same circumference inside the reaction vessel, a raw material gas introduction means, and an outside of the reaction vessel A plurality of high-frequency power introducing means arranged, applying a high-frequency power to the high-frequency power introducing means, and generating glow discharge in the reaction vessel, thereby introducing the raw material gas introduced into the reaction vessel In a deposited film forming apparatus that decomposes and forms deposited films on the plurality of cylindrical substrates,
A deposited film forming apparatus comprising a cylindrical member having a configuration in which a conductive member and an insulating member are combined in an arrangement circle in which the cylindrical substrate is arranged.   The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower side of the cylindrical member is formed of a conductive member and an upper side of the cylindrical member is formed of an insulating member.   3. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the upper insulating member is 0.1 to 8.5 times a length of the lower conductive member.   4. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion formed of the conductive member on the lower side of the cylindrical member is grounded. 5.   5. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical member is 0.1 to 0.8 times a diameter of an inscribed circle in a space surrounded by the plurality of cylindrical substrates. .   6. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the total length of the cylindrical member is 0.5 to 0.98 times the height of the reaction vessel.   7. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the surface of the cylindrical member has an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) in a range of 1 μm to 20 μm.   8. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the surface of the cylindrical member has an average inclination angle (θa) in a range of 9 degrees to 20 degrees.   9. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the surface of the cylindrical member has an average interval (S) between local peaks of 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less.   10. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the surface roughness of the cylindrical member is adjusted by blasting.   10. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the surface roughness of the cylindrical member is adjusted by thermal spraying.   12. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the thermal spray material used for thermal spraying of the conductive member of the cylindrical member is at least one material of aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, and titanium dioxide. .   The thermal spray material used for the thermal spraying of the insulating member of the cylindrical member is made of alumina, titanium dioxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, zircon, congelate, zircon-congelate, silicon oxide beryllium oxide mica ceramic, or the like. 12. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:   14. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high-frequency power introducing means is installed at equal intervals on a concentric circle having the same center as the arrangement circle of the plurality of cylindrical substrates.   15. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a frequency of the high-frequency power is in a range of 50 to 450 MHz.   16. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deposited film formed on the plurality of cylindrical substrates is a non-single crystal material having a silicon atom as a base material.   17. The deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1, which is used for manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member.   A deposited film forming method using the deposited film forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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