JP2013108133A - Vacuum treatment method and method for manufacturing electrophotographic photoreceptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum treatment method which can prevent a dust remaining on a surface of a ring-like member from flying out from a minute gap in a contact region between an end surface of a cylindrical substrate and an end surface of a cylindrical auxiliary substrate during evacuating a conveying container, and to provide a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor using the vacuum treatment method.SOLUTION: A through-hole is formed in a tubular part of a substrate holder to which the ring-like member and the cylindrical substrate are mounted. The conveying container is evacuated while at least part of a through-hole of the ring-like member and at least part of the through-hole of the substrate holder are superposed each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing method for forming a deposited film on a cylindrical substrate, and a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photosensitive member using the vacuum processing method.

  Conventionally, as a vacuum processing method, a processing method using plasma generated by high-frequency power, such as a plasma CVD method, an ion plating method, and a plasma etching method, is known. These vacuum processing methods are used to manufacture electrophotographic photosensitive members, semiconductor devices, image input line sensors, photographing devices, photovoltaic devices, and the like.

  Among the vacuum processing methods, the plasma CVD method in which a plasma of a raw material gas is generated by glow discharge and a decomposition film of the raw material gas is deposited on a substrate to form a deposited film is formed by using amorphous silicon by using a silane gas as a raw material gas. It is known that the deposited film can be easily formed.

  Although a high quality deposited film is formed by such a vacuum processing method, in recent years, further improvement in the quality of the deposited film has been studied.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a ring-shaped member for arranging a cylindrical base and a cylindrical auxiliary base substantially coaxially on an inner peripheral face of an end of a cylindrical base and an inner peripheral face of an end of a cylindrical auxiliary base. And a technique for making the characteristics of the deposited film uniform by increasing the coaxiality of the cylindrical substrate and the cylindrical auxiliary substrate is disclosed.

  Improvements are also being made with respect to the step of carrying the substrate holder on which the substrate is installed into the transfer container, and evacuating the transfer container from the atmospheric state to the vacuum state with the chuck held by the chucking member. An atmospheric state is a state of atmospheric pressure, and a vacuum state is a state of a predetermined vacuum degree whose pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure.

  In Patent Document 2, there is a part of the concave chucking portion of the base holder so that dust such as abrasive for liquid honing remaining on the concave chucking portion of the base holder does not adhere to the surface of the cylindrical base. A technique for forming a through hole is disclosed.

JP 2002-285339 A JP 2009-7654 A

The quality of the deposited film has been improved by the above prior art.
However, in recent years, for example, in order to improve the image characteristics of an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which a deposited film is used, the deposited film is required to have more uniform characteristics than ever before.

  According to the technique of Patent Document 1, the use of a ring-shaped member increases the coaxiality between the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary base, and improves the uniformity of the characteristics of the deposited film in the circumferential direction. However, as the difference between the outer peripheral dimension of the ring-shaped member and the inner peripheral dimension of the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary base becomes smaller, the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical base and the inner peripheral of the end of the cylindrical auxiliary base When the ring-shaped member is attached to the surface, rubbing easily occurs between the ring-shaped member, the cylindrical base body, and the cylindrical auxiliary base body. And dust generated by rubbing may remain on the surface of the ring-shaped member.

  Dust remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member may be scattered from a minute gap at the contact portion between the end surface of the cylindrical base and the end surface of the cylindrical auxiliary base when the ambient environment is changed from the atmospheric state to a vacuum state. is there. When the scattered dust adheres to the surface of the cylindrical substrate, spherical protrusions generated by abnormal growth of the deposited film are likely to occur on the surface of the deposited film. When spherical protrusions are generated on the surface of the deposited film of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, an image defect may occur in an image output using the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing method capable of suppressing dust remaining on the surface of a ring-shaped member from being scattered from a minute gap at a contact portion between an end surface of a cylindrical substrate and an end surface of a cylindrical auxiliary substrate, and Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member using the vacuum processing method.

The present invention attaches a ring-shaped member to the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical base and the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical auxiliary base, and the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary are attached to the base holder having the cylindrical portion. A base is installed, the base holder is chucked by a chucking member, and is carried into a transport container that can be evacuated, and the transport container is evacuated and evacuated to the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary base. In a vacuum processing method having a step of conveying in a vacuum state,
A through-hole is provided in the cylindrical part of the ring-shaped member and the base holder, and when the inside of the transport container is evacuated, at least a part of the through-hole of the ring-shaped member and at least one of the through-hole of the base holder are provided. The vacuum processing method is characterized in that the inside of the transfer container is evacuated while being overlapped with the part.

  In addition, the present invention is a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a step of forming a deposited film on a cylindrical substrate using the vacuum processing method.

  According to the present invention, a vacuum processing method capable of suppressing dust remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member from being scattered from a minute gap at a contact portion between the end face of the cylindrical base and the end face of the cylindrical auxiliary base, and A method for producing an electrophotographic photoreceptor using the vacuum processing method can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the example of a ring-shaped member and a base | substrate holder. It is a figure which shows the example of the continuous manufacturing apparatus of an electrophotographic photoreceptor. It is a figure which shows the example of the vacuum processing apparatus for forming the deposited film of an electrophotographic photoreceptor. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the method of attaching a ring-shaped member to a cylindrical base body and a cylindrical auxiliary base body. It is a figure which shows the example of the state which chucked the base body holder which installed the cylindrical base | substrate which attached the ring-shaped member, and the cylindrical auxiliary base | substrate with the chucking member. It is a figure which shows the prior art example of the state which chuck | zucked with the chucking member the base body holder which installed the cylindrical base | substrate with which the ring-shaped member was attached, and the cylindrical auxiliary | assistant base | substrate. It is a figure which shows the example of a layer structure of an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor.

The present inventors examined the cause of dust adhering to the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical base.
FIG. 6 shows a state in which a cylindrical substrate and a substrate holder on which a cylindrical auxiliary substrate is installed are chucked by a chucking member, with a ring-shaped member for arranging the cylindrical substrate and the cylindrical auxiliary substrate substantially coaxially. It is a figure which shows an example.

  In the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 6, the substrate holder 631 is chucked by a chucking member 603 and is carried into a transport container (not shown) that can be evacuated. The evacuation is evacuation until a predetermined degree of vacuum is reached. Thereafter, in the process of evacuating the inside of the transport container in the loaded state, it has been found that dust scatters from a minute gap at the contact portion between the end surface of the cylindrical base 601 and the end surface of the cylindrical auxiliary base 604. In a state where the chucking member 603 chucks the substrate holder 631, the space between the substrate holder 631, the cylindrical substrate 601, and the cylindrical auxiliary substrate 604 is a space closed by the chucking member 603. Therefore, the air existing in the closed space is evacuated from a minute gap at the contact portion between the end surface of the cylindrical base 601 and the end surface of the cylindrical auxiliary base 604. As a result, it was found that the dust remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member 621 rides on the air current and flows to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base 601 and adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base 601. The dust 608 remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member 621 is attached to the ring-shaped member 621 when the ring-shaped member 621 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical base 601 and the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical auxiliary base 604. And sliding between the cylindrical base 601 and the cylindrical auxiliary base 604. In the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 6, dust remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member 621 is evacuated, for example, in the direction of the arrow 614, the end surface of the upper end portion 601 a of the cylindrical base 601 and the cylindrical auxiliary base 604. It was not possible to suppress scattering from a minute gap at the contact portion with the end face of the lower end 604b.

  Therefore, the present inventors provide a through hole in the cylindrical portion of the ring-shaped member and the base holder (cylindrical portion facing the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary base), and at least one of the through-holes of the ring-shaped member. The inside of the transport container was evacuated in a state where the part and at least a part of the through hole of the substrate holder overlapped. As a result, the inventors have found that a sufficient exhaust path to the inside of the base holder is secured and dust scattering is suppressed, and the present invention has been achieved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a ring-shaped member and a substrate holder.
In FIG. 1, 120 is a ring-shaped member, and 130 is a substrate holder having a cylindrical portion (cylindrical portion) facing the cylindrical substrate and the cylindrical auxiliary substrate. (A) of FIG. 1 is a top view of the ring-shaped member 120, and (b) and (c) are views (two examples) of the ring-shaped member 120 viewed from the arrow A.

The ring-shaped member 120 has a cylindrical (ring-shaped) main body 121 provided with a through hole 122.
Examples of the material of the ring-shaped member 120 include aluminum and stainless steel. Among these, stainless steel is preferable from the viewpoint of resistance to deformation and durability.

  Regarding the shape, size, and number of the through-holes 122, it is necessary to consider making them overlap with the through-holes 132 of the base holder 130. For example, the example illustrated in FIG. 1B is an example in which rectangular through holes 122 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the ring-shaped member 121. Further, four stages are provided in a staggered manner so that the through holes 122 of the ring-shaped member 120 overlap the through holes 132 of the base holder 130. In addition, the example shown in FIG. 1C is an example in which rectangular through holes 122 are provided in parallel at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the ring-shaped member 121 in a state of being inclined by 45 °.

  The base holder 130 has a main body 131 in which a through hole 132 is provided in a cylindrical portion as shown in FIGS. 1D and 1E, for example, and the through hole 132 is a through hole 122 of the ring-shaped member 120. Is provided at a position corresponding to.

  Examples of the material of the substrate holder 130 include copper, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, iron, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, and alloys thereof. Among these, an aluminum alloy is preferable from the viewpoint of workability and manufacturing cost. Among aluminum alloys, Al—Mg alloys and Al—Mn alloys are preferable.

  Regarding the shape, size, and number of the through-holes 132, it is necessary to consider making it overlap with the through-holes 122 of the ring-shaped member 120. For example, the example shown in FIG. 1D is an example in which four rectangular through holes 132 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the substrate holder 131. Furthermore, it is preferable to adjust the vertical length of the through hole 132 of the base holder 131 so as to overlap with the through hole 122 of the ring-shaped member 120. Further, the example shown in FIG. 1E is an example in which a round through hole 132 is provided in the base holder 131.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor performed using the ring-shaped member 120 and the substrate holder 130 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of attaching a ring-shaped member to a cylindrical base body and a cylindrical auxiliary base body.

As the ring-shaped member, a ring-shaped member 421 having the same shape as that shown in FIG.
As the substrate holder, a substrate holder 431 having the same shape as that shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, an inlay portion 415 having an increased inner diameter is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the end portion of the cylindrical base body 401. The inlay portion 415 can be used as a portion for fitting the flange when the flange is attached to the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

  The inner peripheral surface of the end portion of the cylindrical auxiliary base 404 is also provided with an inlay portion 416 having an increased inner diameter, and has the same inner diameter as the inlay portion 415 of the cylindrical base body 401.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4B, the ring-shaped member 421 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the cylindrical base body 401. Here, when a plurality of cylindrical base bodies 401 are stacked, a plurality of ring-shaped members 421 are used.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cylindrical auxiliary base body 404 is installed so as to be placed on the ring-shaped member 421.

  As described above, after attaching the ring-shaped member 421 to the inner peripheral surface of the end portion of the cylindrical base body 401 and the inner peripheral surface of the end portion of the cylindrical auxiliary base body 404, they are installed in the base body holder 431. For example, at this time, at least part of the through hole 432 of the base holder 431 and at least part of the through hole 422 of the ring-shaped member 421 are overlapped. The state is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a base holder on which a cylindrical base with a ring-shaped member and a cylindrical auxiliary base are installed is chucked with a chucking member.

  The substrate holder 531 on which the cylindrical substrate 501 is installed is chucked by the chucking member 503, and is carried into an atmospheric transfer container (not shown) that can be evacuated. Thereafter, the inside of the transport container is evacuated (depressurized until a predetermined pressure is reached) in a state of being carried in, that is, in a state where the substrate holder 531 is chucked by the chucking member 503.

  In the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 6, when the chucking member 603 chucks the base holder 631, the space between the base holder 631, the cylindrical base 601 and the cylindrical auxiliary base 604 is formed by the chucking member 603. It becomes a closed space. During evacuation, the air in the closed space 622 escapes from a minute gap at the contact portion between the end surface of the cylindrical base 601 and the end surface of the cylindrical auxiliary base 604. As a result, the dust remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member 621 may be scattered on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base body 601 on the airflow.

  In the configuration according to the present invention shown in FIG. 5, the base holder 531 is provided with a through hole 532, and the ring-shaped member 521 is provided with a through hole 522. Further, at least a part of the through hole 532 of the base holder 531 and at least a part of the through hole 522 of the ring-shaped member 521 are overlapped. As a result, a sufficient exhaust path to the inside of the base holder 531 is ensured, and the dust 514 remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member 521 escapes in the direction of the arrow. As a result, at the time of evacuation, the cylindrical base body 501 scatters to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base body 501 from a minute gap at the contact portion between the end face of the upper end portion 501a and the end face of the lower end portion 504b of the cylindrical auxiliary base body 504. Can be suppressed.

  In order to suppress the dust remaining on the surface of the ring-shaped member 521 from scattering to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical substrate 501, it is necessary to provide a through hole in both the substrate holder 531 and the ring-shaped member 521. For example, in the case where only the base holder 531 has a through hole, it may not be sufficient to allow air around the ring-shaped member 521 to escape to the inside of the base holder 531.

Next, the configuration of the chucking member 503 will be described.
The chucking member 503 includes a compression spring 512, a claw portion 507, and a shaft 506. The chucking member 503 further includes a case 510 having a flange portion at the bottom and a cylindrical portion at the top. A disk 505 is attached to the lower flange portion of the case 510. The shaft 506 is inserted into the cylindrical portion of the case 510, and two claw portions 507 are provided at the tip via a link mechanism 511. The two claw portions 507 are moved in the direction of the arrow 507a by the link mechanism 511 by moving the shaft 506 up and down, so that the two claw portions 507 can approach and separate from each other. As shown in FIG. 5, the state where the chucking member 503 chucks the substrate holder 502 is a state where the two claw portions 507 are separated from each other.

Next, the chucking process of the substrate holder 531 by the chucking member 503 will be described.
First, in a state where the two claw portions 507 are close to each other, the chucking member 503 is lowered to a position where the head at the upper end of the base holder 531 on which the cylindrical base 501 is installed can be clamped. Thereafter, the two claw portions 507 are separated from each other by the link mechanism 511, and the two claw portions 507 are clamped to the top of the base holder 531. As a result, the top head of the base holder 531 is fixed between the two claws 507 and the disk 505 of the chucking member 503, and the chucking process of the base holder 531 by the chucking member 503 is completed.

  The material of the various members constituting the chucking member 503 is preferably one having a strength capable of repeatedly transporting heavy objects such as the base holder 531, and specifically, stainless steel and iron are preferable. More preferably, the coating film is treated with nickel or chromium.

  Examples of the material of the cylindrical base 501 and the cylindrical auxiliary base 504 include copper, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, iron, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, and alloys thereof. Among these, an aluminum alloy is preferable from the viewpoint of workability and manufacturing cost. Among aluminum alloys, Al—Mg alloys and Al—Mn alloys are preferable.

  Further, regarding the shape of the substrate holder 531, it is preferable that the cylindrical substrate 501 can be transported into a transport container or a reaction container and held therein, and the cylindrical substrate 501 is installed. From the viewpoint of ease of handling, a shape that holds the lower end of the cylindrical substrate 501 is more preferable as shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a continuous production apparatus for an electrophotographic photosensitive member.
The continuous production apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is roughly provided with a charging apparatus 2100, a heating apparatus 2200, a reaction apparatus 2300, a cooling and discharging apparatus 2400, and a transfer apparatus 2500 that can be moved between these apparatuses.

  In the transfer container 2502 of the transfer device 2500, a claw for gripping the substrate holder 2510 on which a cylindrical substrate 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary substrate (not shown) are installed, a fixing disk, a shaft for moving up and down, A chucking member 2507 provided with a compression spring or the like is provided.

  The heating container 2202, the reaction container 2302, the cooling and discharging container 2402, and the transport container 2502 of each of the above devices are cylindrical vertical containers that can be evacuated. Each of these containers is provided with exhaust pumps 2205, 2305, 2405, and 2505 for evacuating the interior of the container. Further, exhaust valves 2203, 2303, 2403, 2503, and 2509 are provided in each of these containers. Furthermore, open / close gates 2201, 2301, 241, and 2501 are provided in each of these containers. The open / close gate 2501 of the transfer device 2500 can be connected to the open / close gates 2201, 2301, and 2401 of the containers.

  The charging container 2102 is provided with an open / close gate 2101. A substrate holder 2510 in which a cylindrical substrate 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary substrate (not shown) are installed is carried into the charging container 2102 while the inside thereof is in an atmospheric state. The heating container 2202 is provided with an auxiliary valve 2204 through which a gas used during heating flows. The cooling and discharge container 2402 is provided with a leak valve 2404 for returning the inside of the heating container 2202 to atmospheric pressure. The reaction vessel 2302 is provided with auxiliary valves 2304 and 2306 through which reaction gas flows, and a high-frequency matching box (not shown) and a high-frequency power source (not shown) are connected.

  The transfer container 2502 has an exhaust valve 2503 for reducing the pressure inside the container to obtain a predetermined degree of vacuum, a pressure between the gates and an exhaust valve 2509 for obtaining a predetermined degree of vacuum, and returning between the gates to atmospheric pressure. The leak valve 2504 is provided, and the internal space can be evacuated. Further, the transport container 2502 is provided with a chucking member 2507 for moving a substrate holder 2510 provided with a cylindrical substrate 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary substrate (not shown). The chucking member 2507 chucks the substrate holder 2510 and carries it in and out of the transfer container 2502. The transfer device 2500 can be moved up and down by a shaft, and can move on a moving rail 2506.

  The number of input containers 2102, heating containers 2202, reaction containers 2302, cooling and extraction containers 2402 is selected according to the respective processing times. A plurality of transfer containers 2502 may be provided so that a plurality of substrates can be transferred simultaneously.

  For example, the continuous production of the electrophotographic photosensitive member using the continuous production apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is performed as follows.

  After a base holder 2510 having a cylindrical base 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary base (not shown) is installed in the input container 2102, the transfer container 2502 is moved and lowered onto the input container 2102 to open and close the open / close gate 2501. Connected to the gate 2101.

  After opening the open / close gates 2501 and 2101 and moving the base holder 2510 on which the cylindrical base 2508 and the cylindrical auxiliary base (not shown) are installed into the transfer container 2502 by the chucking member 2507, the open / close gates 2501 and 2101 are moved. Close and raise the transfer container 2502 to a predetermined position. In this state, the inside of the transfer container 2502 is evacuated from the lower side of the transfer container 2502 by the exhaust pump 2505 and the exhaust valve 2503, and the pressure in the transfer container 2502 is reduced from atmospheric pressure to a predetermined vacuum level. When the inside of the transport container 2502 reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum, the transport valve 2502 and the exhaust pump 2205 are moved onto the heating container 2202 that holds the predetermined degree of vacuum. After that, the open / close gate 2501 is connected to the open / close gate 2201, the exhaust valve 2509 is opened, and the exhaust pump 2505 makes a predetermined degree of vacuum between the open / close gates 2501 and 2012. Note that if the inside of the transport container 2502 is not at a predetermined degree of vacuum, the exhaust valve 2503 is opened and the pressure is reduced by the exhaust pump 2505.

  At a stage where a predetermined degree of vacuum is reached between the open / close gates 2501 and 2011, both open / close gates are opened, and a base holder 2510 in which a cylindrical base 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary base (not shown) are installed by a chucking member 2507 is installed. Move into heating container 2202. A base holder 2510 on which a cylindrical base 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary base (not shown) are installed is placed in the heating container 2202 and the chucking member 2507 is pulled up into the transport container 2502, and then the open / close gates 2501, 2201 are opened. Then, the leakage gas is supplied between the open / close gates 2501 and 2201 from the open / close gate leak valve 2504 to bring the open / close gates 2501 and 2011 to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the open / close gate 2501 of the transfer container 2502 is separated from the open / close gate 2201.

  A heating gas is supplied from the auxiliary valve 2204 into the heating container 2202 until the inside of the heating container 2202 reaches a predetermined pressure, and a cylindrical substrate heating heater (not shown) installed in the heating container 2202 is used. The cylindrical substrate 2508 installed on the substrate holder 2510 is heated to a predetermined temperature.

  The open / close gate 2501 of the transfer container 2502 is connected to the open / close gate 2201 again, the exhaust valve 2509 is opened, and the exhaust pump 2505 makes a predetermined degree of vacuum between the open / close gates 2501 and 2201. At a stage where the opening / closing gates 2501 and 2012 reach a predetermined degree of vacuum, the opening / closing gates 2501 and 2201 are opened, and a base holder 2510 in which a cylindrical base 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary base (not shown) are installed by a chucking member 2507. Is moved into the transport container 2502. After the movement, the open / close gates 2501 and 2201 are closed, and a leakage gas is supplied from the open / close gate leak valve 2504 between the open / close gates 2501 and 2011, and the open / close gates 2501 and 2011 are brought to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the open / close gate 2501 of the transfer container 2502 is disconnected from the open / close gate 2201 and proceeds to a subsequent process.

  In the post-process, a substrate holder 2510 in which a cylindrical substrate 2508 and a cylindrical auxiliary substrate (not shown) are installed between the reaction vessel 2302 and the cooling and discharge vessel 2402 and the transfer vessel 2502 by the same operation as described above. Is delivered.

  In the reaction vessel 2302, a deposited film is formed on the cylindrical substrate 2508 installed in the substrate holder 2510. In the cooling and discharging container 2402, the cylindrical substrate 2508 installed in the substrate holder 2510 is cooled to a predetermined temperature. Then, after supplying the leakage gas into the discharge container 2402 from the leak valve 2404 until the inside of the cooling and discharge container 2402 reaches atmospheric pressure, the cylindrical base body 2508 is carried out of the cooling and discharge container 2402.

Next, a method for forming a deposited film using the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will be described.
First, a cylindrical substrate 3112 that has been degreased and washed in advance is placed on the substrate holder 3123 together with the cylindrical auxiliary substrate 3125 and the ring-shaped member 3126, and using the transfer device (2500 in FIG. 2) of the continuous manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It installs in reaction container 3100 (2302 of FIG. 2). The inside of the reaction vessel 3100 is vacuum-held in advance by an exhaust pump (not shown). In addition, power is supplied in advance to the heater 3113 for heating the cylindrical substrate, and the cylindrical substrate 3112 heated by the heating container is maintained at a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 to 350 ° C.). The cylindrical base 3112 placed on the holder 3123 is heated. At this time, an inert gas such as Ar or He can be supplied from the gas supply device 3200 into the reaction vessel 3100 and heated in an inert gas atmosphere.

  Next, a source gas for forming a deposited film is supplied from the gas supply device 3200 into the reaction vessel 3100. That is, the auxiliary valve 3210 is opened, and the valves 3231 to 3236, 3241 to 3246, and 3251 to 3256 are opened as necessary to set the flow rate of the mass flow controllers 3211 to 2216. When the flow rates of the mass flow controllers 3211 to 3216 are stabilized, the pressure in the reaction vessel 3100 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure while viewing the display of the vacuum gauge 3119. Examples of a method for adjusting the pressure in the reaction vessel 3100 include a method of operating the rotational speed of a mechanical booster pump.

  When a predetermined pressure is obtained, high-frequency power is supplied from the high-frequency power source 3120 into the reaction vessel 3100 and the high-frequency matching box 3115 is operated to cause plasma discharge in the reaction vessel 3100. Thereafter, the high-frequency power is quickly adjusted to a predetermined power to form a deposited film.

  When the formation of the deposited film is finished, the supply of high-frequency power is stopped, the valves 3231 to 3236, 3241 to 3246, 3251 to 3256, and the auxiliary valve 3210 are closed, and the supply of the source gas is finished. At the same time, the main valve 3118 is fully opened, and the reaction container 3100 is evacuated until the pressure in the reaction container 3100 reaches a predetermined pressure (for example, 1 Pa or less).

  In the case of forming a plurality of deposited layers, the above procedure may be repeated again to form a deposited film of each layer.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention further in detail, this invention is not limited to these examples.

[Example 1]
Using the continuous manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 and the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, five electrophotographic photosensitive members (amorphous silicon photosensitive members) having the layer structure shown in FIG. 7 are formed on the cylindrical substrate under the conditions shown in Table 1. Manufactured. In FIG. 7, 701 is a cylindrical substrate, 702 is a lower charge injection blocking layer, 703 is a photoconductive layer, and 704 is a surface layer.

  In this embodiment, the chucking member 503 shown in FIG. 5 is used as a chucking member for chucking the substrate holder.

  A ring-shaped member 421 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical base 401 and the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical auxiliary base 404 by the method described with reference to FIG. .

  The cylindrical substrate used in this example is an aluminum cylindrical substrate having an inner diameter of 78 mm, an outer diameter of 84 mm, a length of 381 mm, and a wall thickness of 3 mm. Moreover, the inner peripheral surface of both ends of the cylindrical base is provided with an inlay portion having a large inner diameter, and the depth of the inlay portion (the axial length of the cylindrical base) is 13 mm. The inner diameter is 79.7 mm.

  The cylindrical auxiliary substrate used in this example is an aluminum cylindrical auxiliary substrate having an outer diameter of 84 mm, a length of 100 mm, and a wall thickness of 3 mm. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical auxiliary base (the end on the side in contact with the cylindrical base), an inlay having the same depth and inner diameter as the spigot of the cylindrical base is provided. .

  Further, the ring-shaped member used in this example is a ring-shaped member made of stainless steel having an inner diameter of 77.8 mm, an outer diameter of 79.4 mm, and a height of 25.8 mm, as shown in FIG. It is. Further, the length of the rectangular through hole provided in the ring-shaped member is 120 mm, the width w is 2.5 mm, and four stages are provided in a staggered manner at equal intervals of 10 mm in the circumferential direction of the ring-shaped member. ing.

  The base holder used in this example has an outer diameter of 76 mm and an inner diameter of a cylindrical portion (cylindrical portion) facing the cylindrical base body and the cylindrical auxiliary base body in the shape shown in FIG. It is a base holder made of aluminum which is 68 mm. The length 1 of the rectangular through hole provided in the cylindrical portion of the base holder is 20 mm, the width w is 8 mm, and the through holes of the ring-shaped member are equally spaced at four locations in the circumferential direction of the base holder. It is provided in the position which opposes.

  In the present embodiment, a part of the through-hole 422 of the ring-shaped member 421 and the through-hole of the base holder 431 are mounted in a state where the cylindrical base 401 and the cylindrical auxiliary base 404 to which the ring-shaped member 421 is attached are mounted on the base holder 431. A part of 432 overlaps.

  Further, in the process of exhausting the inside of the transfer container from the atmospheric state to the vacuum state in this embodiment, the substrate holder 2510 in which the cylindrical substrate 2508 is installed is carried into the transfer container 2502 and is chucked by the chucking member 2507 ( The test was carried out in a clamped state. More specifically, the inside of the transfer container was evacuated from the atmospheric state by the exhaust valve 2509 and the exhaust pump 2505, and evacuation was performed at an exhaust rate reaching 2.67 kPa after 15 minutes.

[Comparative Example 1]
Five electrophotographic photosensitive members were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that both the ring-shaped member and the substrate holder were changed to those having no through holes.

[Comparative Example 2]
Five electrophotographic photosensitive members were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the ring-shaped member was changed to one having no through hole.

[Comparative Example 3]
Five electrophotographic photosensitive members were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the substrate holder was changed to one having no through hole.

[Example 2]
Five electrophotographic photosensitive members were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the ring-shaped member and the substrate holder were changed to the following.

  The ring-shaped member used in this example is a stainless steel ring-shaped member having an inner diameter of 77.8 mm, an outer diameter of 79.4 mm, and a height of 25.8 mm, as shown in FIG. . The length 1 of the rectangular through-hole provided in the ring-shaped member is 26 mm, the width w is 2 mm, the inclination is 45 °, and d = 8 mm in the circumferential direction of the ring-shaped member, etc. It is provided in parallel with the interval.

  The base holder used in this example has an outer diameter of 76 mm and an inner diameter of 68 mm in the cylindrical part (cylindrical part) facing the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary base in the shape shown in FIG. An aluminum substrate holder. Further, the diameter of the round through hole provided in the cylindrical portion of the base holder is 10 mm, and is provided at four positions at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the base holder at positions facing the through holes of the ring-shaped member. It has been.

[Evaluation]
For the electrophotographic photoreceptors produced in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, spherical projections caused by abnormal growth of the deposited film were evaluated by the following method.

  A region of ± 170 mm from the axial center of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is observed with an optical microscope with respect to the manufactured electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a diameter of 10 μm or more existing on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member (= the surface of the deposited film). The number of spherical protrusions was counted.

  For each example, the average value of the number of spherical protrusions of the five electrophotographic photosensitive members was calculated, and the average value of the electrophotographic photosensitive member manufactured in Comparative Example 1 was set to 100, and each example was subjected to relative comparison. A smaller value indicates a smaller number of spherical protrusions. The results are shown in Table 2.

121, 421 Ring-shaped member 122, 132, 422, 432 Through hole 131, 431 Base holder 401 Cylindrical base 404 Cylindrical auxiliary base 503 Chucking member

Claims (2)

A ring-shaped member is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical base and the inner peripheral surface of the end of the cylindrical auxiliary base, and the cylindrical base and the cylindrical auxiliary base are installed in a base holder having a cylindrical portion. The base holder is chucked by a chucking member and is carried into a transport container that can be evacuated, and the transport container is evacuated in a state of being transported, and the cylindrical base body and the cylindrical auxiliary base body are evacuated. In the vacuum processing method having the step of conveying,
A through-hole is provided in the cylindrical part of the ring-shaped member and the base holder, and when the inside of the transport container is evacuated, at least a part of the through-hole of the ring-shaped member and at least one of the through-hole of the base holder are provided. A vacuum processing method, wherein the inside of the transfer container is evacuated while being overlapped with a part.   A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a step of forming a deposited film on a cylindrical substrate using the vacuum processing method according to claim 1.

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