JPH04274245A - Manufacture of electrophotographic sensitive body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form an electrophotographic sensitive body, giving a uniform, high-grade image, inexpensively and stably at high speed in a good yielding manner. CONSTITUTION:In the manufacture of an electrophotographic sensitive body, comprising either of hydrogen and fluorine atoms or both and a silicon atom and including such a process as forming a nonmonocrystal accumulated film on the surface of a metallic substrate by means of a plasma CVD process, a substrate preprocessor consists of a processing part 102 and a substrate conveyor mechanism 103, and prior to a process for forming the aforesaid accumulated film, it performs a cutting process for removing a surface layer of the substrate 101 at the specified thickness, and another process for making water contact with the surface of the cut substrate 101 in order after this cutting process is over.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor in which a non-single crystal deposited film containing silicon atoms and hydrogen atoms is formed on a metal substrate by plasma CVD.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, non-single-crystal deposited films, such as hydrogen and/or
Amorphous deposited films, such as amorphous silicon compensated with halogens (eg, fluorine, chlorine, etc.), have been proposed, and some of them are in practical use. Conventional methods for forming such deposited films include sputtering, a method of decomposing source gas with heat (thermal CVD method), a method of decomposing source gas with light (photoCVD method), and a method of decomposing source gas with plasma (plasma Many methods are known, such as CVD method). Among these, the plasma CVD method, in which a raw material gas is decomposed by direct current, high frequency, or microwave glow discharge, and a thin film deposited film is formed on a substrate, is the most suitable method for forming an amorphous silicon deposited film for electrophotography. , and its practical application is currently very advanced.

Glass, quartz, silicon wafers, heat-resistant synthetic resin films, stainless steel, aluminum, and the like have been proposed as substrates for depositing amorphous silicon films.

However, when considering only the substrate used to form an electrophotographic photoreceptor, positional accuracy must always be maintained in order to withstand electrophotographic processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and cleaning, and to maintain image quality. To keep it high
Metal is often used. A technique regarding the material of the substrate of an electrophotographic photoreceptor made of amorphous silicon is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 193463/1983. This publication discloses a technique for obtaining an electrophotographic photoreceptor with good image quality by using an aluminum alloy with an Fe content of 2000 ppm or less as a support. Furthermore, this publication discloses a procedure for cutting a cylindrical (cylinder-shaped) substrate with a lathe to give it a mirror finish, and then forming amorphous silicon by glow discharge.

[0005] Furthermore, a technique for processing a substrate of an electrophotographic photoreceptor using amorphous silicon was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6
1-171798. This publication discloses a technique for obtaining an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor of good quality by cutting a substrate using a cutting oil with specific components. This publication also describes cleaning the substrate with triethane after cutting. As described above, conventionally, non-aqueous solvents have been the mainstream for cleaning substrates in the plasma CVD method, and aqueous cleaning has not been carried out because it is thought to have harmful effects. Furthermore, in the plasma CVD method, the idea that an effect completely different from cleaning can be obtained by bringing the substrate into contact with pure water under specific conditions has never been seen in the prior art.

On the other hand, as a technique related to the substrate of an electrophotographic photoreceptor made of a material other than amorphous silicon, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-273551 discloses a technique for producing an electrophotographic photoreceptor by vapor depositing Se etc. on an aluminum substrate. , Pretreatment of the substrate includes alkaline cleaning, trichlene cleaning, and ultraviolet irradiation cleaning using a mercury lamp.Also, liquid degreasing, vapor degreasing, and pure water are used to remove oil and fat attached to the surface of the cylindrical aluminum substrate. It is stated that cleaning is to be performed. However, this publication also states that plasma C
The relationship between the reaction on the substrate surface in the VD method and the water treatment of the substrate is not disclosed at all.

[0007] When an aluminum alloy cylinder is used as the substrate, these conventional methods for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor are specifically carried out as follows.

[0008] Lathe with air damper for precision cutting (PNE
UMO PRECLSION INC. A diamond cutting tool (trade name: Miracle Bit, manufactured by Tokyo Diamond) was set in the cylinder so as to obtain a rake angle of 5° with respect to the center angle of the cylinder. Next, the base body was vacuum chucked on the rotating flange of this lathe, and while spraying white kerosene from an attached nozzle and suctioning chips from the attached vacuum nozzle, the peripheral speed was 1000 m/min, and the feed rate was 0.
．． Mirror cutting is performed under the condition of 0.01 mm/R so that the outer diameter becomes 108 mm.

Next, the cut substrate is washed with triethane to remove cutting oil and chips adhering to the surface.

Next, on these mirror-finished and cleaned substrates, a deposited film mainly composed of amorphous silicon is formed using a deposited film forming apparatus for a photoconductive member using a glow discharge decomposition method shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, a reaction vessel 301 is composed of a base plate 302, a wall 303, and a top plate 304.
A base body 306 on which an amorphous silicon deposited film is formed is placed in the center of the cathode electrode 305 and also serves as an anode electrode.

In order to form an amorphous silicon deposited film on the substrate 306 using this deposited film forming apparatus, first, the raw material gas inflow valve 307 and the leak valve 308 are opened.
is closed, the exhaust valve 309 is opened, and the reaction vessel 301 is evacuated. Vacuum gauge 310 reads approximately 5 x 10-6 torr
At this point, the raw material gas inflow valve 307 is opened to feed the raw material gas, such as SiH4 gas, into the reaction vessel 30, which has been adjusted to a predetermined mixing ratio in the mass flow controller 311.
1. After confirming that the surface temperature of the substrate 306 is set to a predetermined temperature by the heater 312, the high frequency power source 313 is set to a desired power to generate glow discharge in the reaction vessel 301.

Further, while the deposited film is being formed, the base 306 is moved by the motor 31 in order to uniformly form the deposited film.
4 to rotate at a constant speed. In this way, the base 30
6, an amorphous silicon deposited film can be formed.

[0014]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in these conventional electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing methods, particularly in regions where the deposition rate of the deposited film is high, it is difficult to meet the requirements for uniform film quality, optical and electrical properties, and A problem that remains to be solved is that it is difficult to consistently and stably obtain a deposited film with high image quality at a high yield (high yield) during image formation using an electrophotographic process.

That is, an electrophotographic photoreceptor manufactured by an electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method including a step of forming a non-single-crystal deposited film on a metal substrate by a plasma CVD method, such as amorphous silicon, is produced by optimizing the conditions for forming the deposited film. This results in density unevenness on the image that cannot be eliminated no matter how much color is used.

[0016] Conventionally, the main purpose of copying was to make manuscripts containing only printed text (so-called line copies).
These irregularities were not a problem at all. However, as the image quality of copying machines has improved in recent years, many documents containing halftones, such as photographs, are being copied, which has become a problem. Particularly in color copying machines that have become popular in recent years, these irregularities become color irregularities and become more visually obvious, which has become a big problem.

Since these changes are minute, they cannot be detected even if an electrode is attached above and the conductivity is measured. However, when an electrophotographic photoreceptor is charged, exposed, and developed using an electrophotographic process, especially when a uniform halftone image is formed, a slight difference in potential on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor can cause uneven image density. As a result, it appears as something visually noticeable.

Furthermore, in recent years, a plasma CVD method using microwave glow discharge decomposition, that is, a microwave plasma CVD method, has been attracting industrial attention as a method for forming a deposited film. The microwave plasma CVD method has advantages over other methods in terms of high deposition rate and high raw material gas utilization efficiency. One example of microwave plasma CVD technology that takes advantage of these advantages is U.S. Patent No. 4,504,5
It is described in No. 18. The technology described in this patent is 0
．． Microwave plasma CV due to low pressure of 1 Torr or less
The D method is used to obtain a high quality deposited film at a high deposition rate. Furthermore, technology for improving the utilization efficiency of raw material gas by microwave plasma CVD method was published in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6
0-186849. In summary, the technology described in this publication involves arranging a base body to surround a means for introducing microwave energy to form an internal chamber (i.e., a discharge space), thereby greatly increasing the raw material gas utilization efficiency. It is something.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-283116 discloses an improved microwave technique for manufacturing semiconductor components. In other words, this publication discloses that an electrode (bias electrode) is provided in the discharge space to control the plasma potential, and a desired voltage (bias voltage) is applied to the bias electrode to deposit a film while controlling ion bombardment on the deposited film. The present disclosure discloses a technique for improving the properties of a deposited film in this manner. However, in electrophotographic photoreceptors manufactured by such a microwave plasma CVD method, the above-mentioned problems become even more pronounced.

On the other hand, even if a substrate that has been cleaned in a conventional process is used, such image density unevenness can be caused by methods other than the plasma CVD method (fabrication of Se electrophotographic photoreceptors by vacuum evaporation, blade coating, or dipping). OPC by law etc.
(Preparation of Electrophotographic Photoreceptor), it does not occur at all in the electrophotographic photoreceptor.

[0021] Also, even in devices manufactured by the plasma CVD method, the above-mentioned problem does not occur in devices such as solar cells in which subtle differences in characteristics depending on the position on the substrate do not affect the performance.

An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor that overcomes the problems in the conventional electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method as described above, and can be formed at high speed with a stable, high yield at low cost. Our goal is to provide the following.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor that can solve the problem of image density unevenness peculiar to the plasma CVD method and obtain uniform, high-quality images. There is a particular thing.

[0024]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention includes a step of forming a non-single crystal deposited film containing silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms and/or fluorine atoms on a metal substrate by plasma CVD method. A method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising the step of sequentially performing a step of cutting the surface of the metal substrate and a step of bringing the cut surface of the substrate into contact with water before the step of forming the deposited film. It is said that

[0025] The present inventor has focused his attention on whether it is possible to suppress the above-mentioned uneven properties of the deposited film by cutting the surface of the substrate before film formation and further performing some kind of pretreatment. As a result of research, we have completed the present invention.

Although there are many aspects of the mechanism of the present invention that have not yet been elucidated, the present inventor is currently thinking as follows. In other words, when forming, for example, an amorphous silicon deposited film on a substrate by the plasma CVD method, reactions include a decomposition process of raw material gas in the gas phase, a transport process of active species from the discharge space to the substrate surface, and a surface reaction on the substrate surface. The reaction process can be divided into three parts. Among these, surface reaction processes play a very important role in determining the structure of the completed deposited film. And these surface reactions are
It is greatly affected by the temperature, material, shape, adsorbed substance, etc. of the substrate surface.

[0027] Metal substrates, especially high-purity aluminum substrates, can be left as they are without any treatment after cutting.
Alternatively, if the substrate is simply cleaned with a non-aqueous solvent such as triethane after cutting, the adsorption of water on the surface of the substrate is partially different. When a deposited film containing silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and/or fluorine atoms, such as an amorphous silicon film, is formed by plasma CVD on a substrate with such a surface condition, the reaction on the surface of the substrate will cause a reaction on the substrate surface. It is particularly influenced by the amount of water molecules left behind. As a result, the composition and structure of the interface of the deposited film changes depending on the amount of water adsorbed at the position of the substrate, and as a result, the charge injection property from the substrate at that part changes during the electrophotographic process. A sufficient difference in surface potential appears to change the image density.

In the present invention, after cutting the substrate, plasma CV
Before forming a deposited film using the D method, the substrate surface is brought into contact with water to equalize local differences in the amount of water adsorbed on the substrate surface, thereby successfully eliminating the uneven density of the image described above. There is.

The present invention is a new surface treatment method in the plasma CVD method whose purpose is to uniformize the adsorption of water on the surface of a substrate in order to improve image unevenness. have achieved quite different effects.

An example of the procedure for actually forming an electrophotographic photoreceptor using an aluminum alloy cylinder as a base by the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and the substrate pretreatment apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. , will be explained below using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG.

[0031] Lathe with air damper for precision cutting (PNE
UMO PRECLSION INC. A diamond cutting tool (trade name: Miracle Bit, manufactured by Tokyo Diamond) was set in the cylinder so as to obtain a rake angle of 5° with respect to the center angle of the cylinder.

Next, the base body was vacuum chucked on the rotating flange of this lathe, and white kerosene was sprayed from an attached nozzle, while cutting chips were sucked from the same attached vacuum nozzle.
Mirror cutting is performed at a circumferential speed of 1000 m/min and a feed rate of 0.01 mm/R so that the outer diameter is 108 mm.

After cutting, the surface of the substrate is processed by a substrate pretreatment device.

The substrate pretreatment apparatus shown in FIG.
2 and a substrate transport mechanism 103. Processing unit 102
consists of a substrate loading table 111, a substrate pre-cleaning tank 121, a water treatment tank 131, a drying tank 141, and a substrate unloading table 151. Both the pre-cleaning tank 121 and the water treatment tank 131 are equipped with a temperature control device (not shown) for keeping the temperature of the liquid constant. The transport mechanism 103 consists of a transport rail 165 and a transport arm 161, and the transport arm 161 is connected to the rail 16.
5, a moving mechanism 162 that moves on the base body 101, a chucking mechanism 163 that holds the base body 101, and a chucking mechanism 163 that moves on the base body 101.
It consists of an air cylinder 164 for raising and lowering.

After cutting, the substrate 1 is placed on the input table 111.
01 is transported to the pre-cleaning tank 121 by the transport mechanism 103. Trichloroethane (product name:
Eterna VG (manufactured by Asahi Kasei Industries, Ltd.) 122 cleans cutting oil and chips adhering to the surface.

Next, the substrate 101 is transported to a water treatment tank 131 by a transport mechanism 103, and pure water with a resistivity of 17.5 MΩ-cm maintained at a temperature of 40° C. is pumped through a nozzle 132 at 50 kg.
It is sprayed at a pressure of g·f/cm2. After the water treatment, the substrate 101 is moved by the transport mechanism 103 to a drying tank 141, and is dried by being blown with high-temperature, high-pressure air from a nozzle 142.

After the drying process has been completed, the substrate 101 is transported to a carry-out table 151 by the transport mechanism 103.

Next, on the substrate that has been subjected to these cutting processes and pretreatments, a deposited film mainly composed of amorphous silicon is formed using a photoconductive member deposited film forming apparatus using the plasma CVD method shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. do.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, 201 is a reaction vessel, which has a vacuum-tight structure. Also, 202
is a microwave introducing dielectric window formed of a material (for example, quartz glass, alumina ceramics, etc.) that can efficiently transmit microwave power into the reaction vessel 201 and maintain vacuum tightness. A waveguide 203 transmits microwave power, and consists of a rectangular portion extending from the microwave power source to the vicinity of the reaction vessel, and a cylindrical portion inserted into the reaction vessel. The waveguide 203 is connected to a microwave power source (not shown) along with a stub tuner (not shown) and an isolator (not shown). The dielectric window 202 is connected to the waveguide 2 in order to maintain the atmosphere inside the reaction vessel.
It is hermetically sealed on the inner wall of the cylindrical portion of 03. 204
has one end open to the reaction vessel 201 and the other end an exhaust device (
(not shown). 206 indicates a discharge space surrounded by the base 205. The power supply 211 is a DC power supply (bias power supply) for applying a DC voltage to the bias electrode 212, and is electrically connected to the electrode 212.

Manufacturing of an electrophotographic photoreceptor using such a deposited film forming apparatus is carried out as follows. First, the reaction vessel 201 is evacuated via the exhaust pipe 204 by a vacuum pump (not shown), and the pressure inside the reaction vessel 201 is reduced to 1×10 −
Adjust to 7 Torr or less. Next, the temperature of the base 205 is heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature by the heater 207. Therefore, raw material gases such as silane gas as the amorphous silicon raw material gas, diborane gas as the doping gas, and helium gas as the diluting gas are introduced into the reaction vessel 201 through a gas introducing means (not shown). At the same time, a microwave power source (not shown) generates microwaves with a frequency of 2.45 GHZ, and the waveguide 20
3 into the reaction vessel 201 through the dielectric window 202. Furthermore, the bias electrode 21 in the discharge space 206
A DC voltage is applied to the bias electrode 212 with respect to the base body 205 by a DC power supply 211 electrically connected to the substrate 205 . Thus, in the discharge space 206 surrounded by the base 205, the raw material gas is excited by the microwave energy and dissociated, and is constantly bombarded with ions onto the base 205 by the electric field between the bias electrode 212 and the base 205. , a deposited film is formed on the surface of the base 205. At this time, the rotating shaft 209 on which the base body 205 is installed is connected to the motor 2.
10 and rotate the base body 205 around the central axis in the generatrix direction of the base body, thereby forming a deposited film layer uniformly over the entire circumference of the base body 205.

In the present invention, the quality of the water used in the water contact treatment is preferably semiconductor grade pure water, particularly ultra-LSI grade ultrapure water. Specifically, the resistivity at a water temperature of 25°C is 16 MΩ-cm or more, preferably 17
A value of MΩ-cm or more, optimally 17.5 Ω-cm or more, is suitable for the present invention. The amount of fine particles is 500 or less, preferably 100 particles of 0.2 μm or more per milliliter.
or less, optimally less than 50, is suitable for the present invention. As for the amount of microorganisms, the total number of viable bacteria is 10 per milliliter.
or less, preferably less than 1, optimally less than 0.1, are suitable for the present invention. A content of organic matter (TOC) of 1 mg or less, preferably 0.2 mg or less, optimally 0.1 mg or less per liter is suitable for the present invention.

Methods for obtaining water with the above-mentioned quality include activated carbon method, distillation method, ion exchange method, filter filtration method, reverse osmosis method, and ultraviolet sterilization method. It is desirable to improve the water quality to the level that is expected.

[0043] When contacting the surface of the substrate, it is desirable to apply water pressure to the spray. If the water pressure during spraying is too weak, the effect of the present invention will be small, and if it is too strong, a pear-like pattern will occur on the image obtained on the electrophotographic photoreceptor, especially on the halftone image. Put it away. For this reason, the water pressure is 2 kg・f/cm2 or more, 300
kg・f/cm2 or less, preferably 10 kg・f/cm
2 or more, 200kg・f/cm2 or less, optimally 20k
A range of g·f/cm2 or more and 150 kg·f/cm2 or less is suitable for the present invention. However, in the present invention, the pressure unit is kg
・f/cm2 means gravitational kilogram per square centimeter, and 1 kg・f/cm2 is almost equivalent to 98066.5 Pa.

[0044] Methods for spraying water include a method in which high-pressure water is sprayed from a nozzle using a pump, or a method in which water pumped by a pump is mixed with high-pressure air in front of the nozzle and then sprayed using the pressure of the air. .

The flow rate of water is optimally 1 liter/min or more and 200 liters/min or less, preferably 2 liters/min or more and 100 liters/min or less per substrate, in view of the effects of the invention and economy. A range of 5 liters/min or more and 50 liters/min or less is suitable for the present invention.

If the temperature of the water is too high, an oxide film will be formed on the substrate, causing the deposited film to peel off. Also,
If it is too low, the effect of the present invention will be small. Therefore, the water temperature should be 10°C or higher and 90°C or lower, preferably 20°C or higher and 75°C or lower, optimally 30°C or higher and 60°C or higher.
A temperature of 0° C. or lower is suitable for the present invention.

The treatment time of the water contact treatment is 10 seconds or more and 30 minutes or less, preferably 2 minutes, because if it is too long, an oxide film will be generated on the substrate, and if it is too short, the effect of the present invention will be small.
A time period of 0 seconds or more and 20 minutes or less, most preferably 30 seconds or more and 10 minutes or less, is suitable for the present invention. In the present invention, in order to eliminate the influence of an oxide film on the substrate surface during the formation of a deposited film,
It is important to cut the substrate surface immediately before forming the deposited film.

[0048] If the time from cutting to water contact treatment is too long, an oxide film will be generated on the substrate surface again, and if it is too short, the process will not be stable. Therefore, the time from cutting to water contact treatment is 1 minute or more and 16 hours or less, preferably 2 minutes or more , 8 hours or less, optimally 3 minutes or more, 4
Hours or less are suitable for the present invention.

[0049] If the time from water contact treatment to input into the deposited film forming apparatus is too long, the effect of the present invention will be reduced, and if it is too short, the process will not be stable. 2 minutes or more, 4 hours or less, optimally 3
A time of at least 1 minute and no more than 2 hours is suitable for the present invention.

The present invention becomes more effective if a pre-cleaning step is provided to remove cutting oil and chips adhering to the surface of the substrate after cutting and before the water contact treatment. The pre-cleaning method may be any method as long as it can remove substances adhering to the surface of the substrate, such as oil and chips caused by cutting, without deteriorating the surface of the substrate. Cleaning may be performed using a solvent such as triethane, triethylene, or Freon 113. Water-based cleaning using surfactants may also be used. In the case of liquid cleaning, adding an ultrasonic cleaning step makes the cleaning even more effective. Cleaning with steam is also effective.

The present invention is possible as long as the surface is metal as the base material for forming the deposited film. For example, stainless steel, Al, Cr, Mo, Au, In, Nb, Te
, V, Ti, Pt, Pd, Fe, etc. are effective, but a particularly remarkable effect is observed in the case of aluminum. When using aluminum as the substrate material, the present invention is more effective when the purity is closer to 100%; specifically, it is effective when the purity is 90% or more, preferably 95% or more, and optimally 99% or more.

[0052] Although the base body can have any shape, a cylindrical shape is particularly suitable for the present invention. There are no particular restrictions on the size of the base, but in practice it is recommended to have a diameter of 20 mm or more and a length of 500 m.
The length is preferably 10 mm or more and 1000 mm or less.

The raw material gas for the deposited film used in the present invention includes silane (SiH4), disilane (Si2H6),
Silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4), disilicon hexafluoride (Si2F6)
Examples include amorphous silicon forming raw material gases such as , and mixed gases thereof.

Examples of the diluent gas include hydrogen (H2), argon (Ar), and helium (He).

[0055] Gases for improving properties such as changing the band gap width of the deposited film include elements containing nitrogen atoms such as nitrogen (N2) and ammonia (NH3), oxygen (O2), and nitrogen monoxide (NO). , nitrogen dioxide (NO2), dinitrogen oxide (N2O), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO
2) Elements containing oxygen atoms, such as methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), ethylene (C2H4), acetylene (C
2H2), propane (C3H8), fluorine compounds such as germanium tetrafluoride (GeF4), nitrogen fluoride (NF3), or a mixed gas thereof.

Further, in the present invention, diborane (B2H6) and boron fluoride (BF3) are used for doping purposes.
), phosphine (PH3), or other dopant gases may be introduced into the discharge space at the same time, the present invention is equally effective.

In the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention, the total thickness of the deposited film deposited on the substrate may be any value, but is 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or more, and 7 μm or more.
Particularly good images could be obtained as an electrophotographic photoreceptor at a thickness of 0 μm or less, optimally 15 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

In the present invention, the effect was observed regardless of the pressure in the discharge space during deposition of the deposited film, but especially in the pressure range of 0.
Particularly good results in terms of discharge stability and uniformity of the deposited film were obtained with good reproducibility at 5 mtorr or more and 100 mtorr or less, preferably 1 mtorr or more and 50 mtorr or less.

In the present invention, the substrate temperature during deposition of the deposited film is effective in the range of 100°C or higher and 500°C or lower, particularly 150°C or higher and 450°C or lower, preferably 20°C or higher.
0℃ or higher, 400℃ or lower, optimally 250℃ or higher, 35
A remarkable effect was confirmed at temperatures below 0°C.

[0060] In the present invention, the heating means for the substrate may be any vacuum type heating element, and more specifically, a wrapping heater of a sheath heater, a plate heater, an electric resistance heating element such as a ceramic heater, or a halogen heater. Examples include heat emitting lamp heating elements such as lamps and infrared lamps, heating elements using heat exchange means using liquid, gas, etc. as a heating medium, and the like. As the surface material of the heating means, metals such as stainless steel, nickel, aluminum, and copper, ceramics, heat-resistant polymer resins, and the like can be used. In addition, a method may also be used in which a heating-only container is provided separately from the reaction container, and after heating, the substrate is transported into the reaction container in a vacuum. In the present invention, the above means can be used alone or in combination.

[0061] In the present invention, the energy for generating plasma can be DC, RF, microwave, etc., but in particular, when microwaves are used for the energy for generating plasma, the microwaves can be applied to the adsorbed moisture. The effect of the present invention becomes more remarkable because the change in the interface becomes more remarkable.

In the present invention, when microwaves are used for plasma generation, any microwave power may be used as long as it can generate discharge, but the present invention uses microwave power of 100 W or more and 10 kW or less, preferably 500 W or more and 4 kW or less. It is appropriate to carry out.

In the present invention, it is effective to apply a voltage (bias voltage) to the discharge space during the formation of the deposited film.
It is preferable that an electric field is applied at least in the direction in which the cations collide with the substrate. If no bias is applied at all, the effect of the present invention will be significantly reduced, so if the voltage of the DC component is 1 V or more and 500 V or less, preferably 5 V or more,
In order to obtain the effects of the present invention, it is desirable to apply a bias voltage of 0 V or less during the formation of the deposited film.

In the present invention, when microwaves are introduced into the reaction vessel using a dielectric window, the material of the dielectric window may be alumina (Al2O3) or aluminum nitride (AlN).
), boron nitride (BN), silicon nitride (SiN), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxide (SiO2), beryllium oxide (BeO), Teflon, polystyrene, and other materials with low microwave loss are usually used.

In a method for forming a deposited film in which a discharge space is surrounded by a plurality of substrates, the spacing between the substrates is 1 mm or more, 50 mm or more.
It is preferably less than mm. The number of substrates may be any number as long as a discharge space can be formed, but three or more, more preferably four or more is appropriate.

The present invention can be applied to any method of manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor, but is particularly applicable to a method in which a base is provided so as to surround a discharge space, and microwaves are introduced from at least one end of the base through a waveguide. This configuration has a great effect when forming a deposited film.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration example of a general transfer type electrophotographic apparatus using an electrophotographic photoreceptor manufactured by the method of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 701 denotes an electrophotographic photoreceptor as an image carrier, which is rotated at a predetermined circumferential speed in the direction of the arrow about a shaft 701a. This electrophotographic photoreceptor is uniformly charged to a predetermined positive or negative potential on its peripheral surface by the charging means 702 during its rotation process, and then subjected to light image exposure L (slit exposure) by an image exposure means (not shown) by the exposure section. , laser beam scanning exposure, etc.). As a result, electrostatic latent images corresponding to the exposed images are sequentially formed on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor.

This electrostatic latent image is then developed with toner by a developing means 704, and this toner image is transferred from a paper feed section (not shown) between the photoreceptor 701 and the transfer means 705 by the rotation of the photoreceptor 701. The images are sequentially transferred onto the surface of the transfer material P that is fed in synchronization.

The transfer material P that has undergone the image transfer is separated from the photoreceptor surface and introduced into the image fixing means 708, where the image is fixed and then printed out as a copy.

After the image has been transferred, the surface of the photoreceptor 701 is made clean by removing the residual toner after transfer by the cleaning means 706, and is further subjected to charge removal processing by the pre-exposure means 707, and then used repeatedly for image formation. Ru.

As the uniform charging means 702 for the photoreceptor 701, a corona charging device is generally widely used. Further, a corona charging device is generally widely used for the transfer device 705 as well. An electrophotographic apparatus is constructed by combining a plurality of components such as the above-mentioned photoreceptor, developing means, and cleaning means into an apparatus unit, and this unit is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. It's okay. For example, the photoreceptor 701 and the cleaning means 706 may be integrated into one apparatus unit, and may be configured to be detachable using a guide means such as a rail of the apparatus main body. In this case, the charging means and (
or) may be configured with a developing means.

When the electrophotographic apparatus is used as a copying machine or a printer, the light image exposure L may be reflected light or transmitted light from the original, or a laser beam generated by a signal obtained by reading the original. It may be obtained by scanning, driving an LED array, driving a liquid crystal shutter array, or the like.

When used as a facsimile printer, the optical image exposure L is exposure for printing received data. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of this case.

A controller 711 controls an image reading section 710 and a printer 719. The controller 711 is entirely controlled by a CPU 717. Image reading section 71
The read data from 0 is transmitted to the partner station through the transmission circuit 713. The data received from the other station is sent to the receiving circuit 71.
2 to the printer 719. Image memory 7
Predetermined image data is stored in 16. A printer controller 718 controls a printer 719. 7
14 is a telephone.

Image information received from line 715 (image information from a remote terminal connected via the line) is
After being demodulated by the receiving circuit 712, the CPU 717 performs decoding processing, and the signals are sequentially stored in the image memory 716. Then, when at least one page of image information is stored in the memory 716, the image of that page is recorded. CPU71
7 reads one page of image information from the memory 716 and sends the combined one page of image information to the printer controller 18 . The printer controller 718 is C
When receiving one page of image information from the PU 717, the printer is controlled to record the image information of that page.

[0077] Note that the CPU 717 is connected to the printer 719.
During recording, image information for the next page is being received.

Image reception and recording are performed in the manner described above.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the method of the present invention can be used not only in electrophotographic copying machines, but also in laser beam printers, CRT printers, LED printers,
It can also be widely used in electrophotographic applications such as liquid crystal printers and laser engraving machines.

[0080] Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be specifically explained using examples, but the present invention is not limited by these in any way.

Experimental Example 1 Diameter 108 mm made of 99.5% pure aluminum
The surface of a cylindrical substrate with a length of 358 mm and a wall thickness of 5 mm was cut in the same manner as the above-described example of the procedure of the method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention, and 15 minutes after the cutting process was completed, the surface was cut as shown in FIG. The surface of the substrate was pretreated under the conditions shown in Table 1 using the surface treatment apparatus shown below.

Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 under the conditions shown in Table 2, and a blocking electrophotograph of the layer structure shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. A photoreceptor was produced. In Figure 5, 40
1, 402, 403 and 404 indicate the aluminum substrate, charge injection blocking layer, photoconductive layer and surface layer, respectively.

In this experimental example, an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by varying the water spraying pressure in the pretreatment step. The electrophotographic properties of the electrophotographic photoreceptor thus prepared were evaluated as follows. The prepared electrophotographic photoreceptor was placed in a Canon Co., Ltd. copying machine, an NP7550 that had been modified for experimental purposes, and a voltage of 6 kV was applied to the charger to perform corona charging, and an image was transferred onto transfer paper using the normal copying process. The image quality was evaluated according to the following procedure. Ten electrophotographic photoreceptors manufactured under the same manufacturing conditions in this manner were evaluated, and the evaluation results are shown in Table 3. Evaluation of image unevenness: Place A3 graph paper (manufactured by KOKUYO Co., Ltd.) on the manuscript table of the copying machine, and by changing the aperture of the copying machine, adjust the exposure of the manuscript to such an extent that the lines on the graph can barely be seen, and the white areas begin to overlap. 10 copies with different densities were output. These images were observed at a distance of 50 cm from the eye to see if there was a difference in density, and evaluation was made using the following criteria.

◎: No image unevenness is observed on any of the copies.

[0085]○...There are copies in which image unevenness is observed and copies in which image unevenness is not observed. However, all of them are minor and there is no problem at all.

Δ: Image unevenness is observed on all copies.

However, on at least one copy, the image unevenness is slight and poses no practical problem.

x: Significant image unevenness is observed on all copies. Evaluation of pear-like pattern: An image obtained when a front halftone original was placed on the document table of a copying machine and copied, and the image was outputted so that the density was 0.3±0.1. These images were observed at a distance of 50 cm from the eye to see if a pear-like pattern was observed, and evaluated based on the following criteria.

◎... No pear-like pattern is observed on any of the copies.

○: There are some areas where a pear-like pattern is slightly observed.

[0091] However, the degree is slight and poses no problem at all.

Δ: A pear-like pattern is observed on all copies.

[0093] However, in most cases, the degree of damage is slight and poses no practical problem.

×...A large pear skin pattern is observed on all copies. Comparative Experimental Example The same substrate as in Experimental Example 1 was cut using the same procedure. After cutting, the substrate surface was treated using a conventional substrate surface cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 9 under the conditions shown in Table 4. The substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 9 includes a processing tank 602 and a substrate transport mechanism 60.
It consists of 3. The processing tank 602 has a substrate loading table 611
, a substrate cleaning tank 621, and a substrate unloading table 651. The cleaning tank 621 is equipped with a temperature control device (not shown) for keeping the temperature of the liquid constant. The transport mechanism 603 includes a transport rail 665 and a transport arm 661, and the transport arm 661 is connected to a transport mechanism 662 that moves on the rail 665.
, a chucking mechanism 663 for holding the base body 601, and an air cylinder 664 for raising and lowering the chucking mechanism 663.

After cutting, the base 6 placed on the input table 611
01 is transported to the cleaning tank 621 by the transport mechanism 603. Cleaning is performed using triethane (trade name: Eterna VG, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Industries, Ltd.) 622 in a pre-cleaning tank 621 to remove cutting oil and chips adhering to the surface.

After cleaning, the substrate 601 is transported to a carry-out table 651 by a transport mechanism 603.

Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 under the conditions shown in Table 2, and in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.
A blocking type electrophotographic photoreceptor having the layer structure shown in FIG. 5 was produced.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor thus produced was evaluated in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and the results are also shown in Table 3 as a proportional experiment example. As is clear from Table 3, the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method according to the present invention has a water pressure of 2 kg·f/cm2 or more and 300 kg·f/cm2 or less during water treatment. A very good effect on image unevenness was obtained within the range.

Experimental Example 2 After cutting the same substrate as in Experimental Example 1 in the same procedure, 15 minutes after the end of the cutting process, the surface treatment apparatus shown in FIG.
The substrate surface was pretreated under the conditions shown below. Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 under the conditions shown in Table 2, and a blocking electrophotographic photoreceptor having the layer structure shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. Created.

In this experimental example, film peeling was evaluated by visually inspecting the appearance of the electrophotographic photoreceptor obtained by changing the water temperature during water treatment, and then using a modified Canon NP7550 copier. The image unevenness was evaluated using the same procedure as in Experimental Example 1. The results obtained in this way are shown in Table 6.

[0101] The electrophotographic photoreceptor produced in the comparative experimental example was also evaluated in the same manner and is also shown in Table 6 as a comparative experimental example. Evaluation of film peeling The entire surfaces of 10 electrophotographic photoreceptors manufactured under the same manufacturing conditions were visually observed, and peeling of the deposited film was evaluated using the following criteria.

◎...No peeling of the deposited film was observed in any of the photoreceptors.

◯: Slight peeling was observed at the edges.

Δ...Peeling was observed on all photoreceptors, but they were all in non-image areas and did not pose a practical problem.

×: Large peeling was observed.

As is clear from Table 6, when the water temperature is 1
When the temperature was 0° C. or higher and 90° C. or lower, the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention had very good image properties.

Experimental Example 3 After cutting the same substrate as in Experimental Example 1 in the same procedure, 15 minutes after the end of the cutting process, the surface treatment apparatus shown in FIG.
The substrate surface was pretreated under the conditions shown below. Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 under the conditions shown in Table 2, and a blocking electrophotographic photoreceptor having the layer structure shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. Created.

In this experimental example, electrophotographic photoreceptors were manufactured by changing the quality (resistivity) of pure water used during water treatment. The electrophotographic photoreceptors obtained with different resistance values were put into a modified Canon NP7550 copying machine, and image unevenness was evaluated in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and black spots were evaluated in the following manner. For evaluation, 10 each of electrophotographic photoreceptors produced under the same production conditions were evaluated, and the obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 8.

[0109] The electrophotographic photoreceptor produced in the comparative experimental example was also evaluated in the same manner and is also shown in Table 8 as a comparative experimental example. Evaluation of Black Spots When a full halftone original was placed on the document table of a copying machine and copied, the image was output so that the average density of the image obtained was 0.3±0.1.

[0110] These images were observed at a distance of 50 cm from the eye to determine whether black spots were observed and evaluated based on the following criteria.

◎: No black spots are observed on any of the copies.

[0112] ○... Some black stains were observed slightly. It's minor and no problem at all. Δ...Black stains are observed on all copies. However, it is minor and poses no practical problem.

x: Large black stains are observed on all copies.

As is clear from Table 8, the resistivity of water is 1
When the resistance was 6 MΩ-cm or more, the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the method for producing an electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention had very good image properties.

[0115]

EXAMPLE The configuration of the present invention was determined through the above experimental examples. Next, the present invention will be explained more specifically using examples and comparative examples.

Example 1 Diameter 108 mm made of 99.5% pure aluminum
The surface of a cylindrical substrate with a length of 358 mm and a wall thickness of 5 mm was cut in the same manner as the above-described example of the procedure of the method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention, and 15 minutes after the cutting process was completed, the surface was cut as shown in FIG. The surface of the substrate was pretreated under the conditions shown in Table 9 using the surface treatment apparatus shown below.

Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 under the conditions shown in Table 2, and a blocking electrophotograph of the layer structure shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. A photoreceptor was produced.

The electrophotographic properties of the electrophotographic photoreceptor thus produced were evaluated as follows. however,
Ten photoreceptors each produced under the same film-forming conditions were evaluated.

[0119] After visually observing and evaluating the appearance of the produced electrophotographic photoreceptor for film peeling, it was
P7550 was placed in a copying machine modified for experimental use, an image was created on transfer paper by a normal copying process, and the image quality was evaluated. However, at this time, a voltage of 6 kV was applied to the charger to perform corona charging. These evaluation results are shown in Table 10 as "the present invention". Image unevenness: Performed using the same procedure and evaluation criteria as in Experimental Example 1. Pear skin pattern: Performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 using the same evaluation criteria. Film peeling: Performed using the same procedure and evaluation criteria as in Experimental Example 2. Black stain: Performed using the same procedure and evaluation criteria as in Experimental Example 3. White spots: Evaluation was made based on the number of white spots within the same area of an image sample obtained when a black original was placed on a document table and copied.

◎…Good.

○...There are some small white spots.

[0122] △...There are white spots on the entire surface, but there is no problem in character recognition.

[0123]×...There are so many white dots that the characters are difficult to read. Thin line reproducibility: An image sample obtained when copying a normal manuscript consisting of full-page text on a white background was placed on a manuscript table, and an image sample obtained was observed to evaluate whether the thin lines on the image were connected without interruption. However, if there was unevenness on the image at this time, the entire image area was evaluated and the results for the worst part were shown.

◎…Good.

[0125]○...There are some interruptions.

[0126] △...There are many breaks, but it can be recognized as characters.

×... Some characters cannot be recognized as characters. White background fog: An image sample obtained when copying a normal manuscript consisting of full-page text on a white background was placed on a document table and the image sample obtained was observed, and the fog on the white background was evaluated.

◎…Good.

○...There is slight fogging in some parts.

[0130] △: There is a fog over the entire surface, but there is no problem in character recognition.

[0131]×...There is a fog that makes it difficult to read the characters.

Comparative Example After cutting the same substrate as in Example 1 in the same procedure, the substrate surface was cleaned according to the conventional method and under the conditions shown in Table 4 using the substrate surface cleaning device shown in FIG. went.

Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4 under the conditions shown in Table 11, and as in Example 1, the layer structure shown in FIG. A blocking electrophotographic photoreceptor was manufactured.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor thus obtained was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 10 as "Conventional Example". The electrophotographic photoreceptor manufactured by the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention has very good results in all the items shown in the table compared to the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufactured by the conventional method. Ta.

Example 2 An electrophotographic photoreceptor was manufactured using the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention, with the layer structure of the electrophotographic photoreceptor being different from Example 1. After cutting the same substrate as in Example 1 using the same procedure, the surface of the substrate was pretreated under the conditions shown in Table 9 using the surface treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 15 minutes after the end of the cutting process.

Thereafter, using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate under the conditions shown in Table 12, and a blocking electrophotographic photosensitive layer having the layer structure shown in FIG. 6 was formed. The body was created.

In FIG. 6, 501 is an aluminum base, 502 is a charge injection blocking layer, 505 is a charge transport layer, and 50
6 indicates a charge generation layer, and 504 indicates a surface layer.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor thus obtained was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, in this example as well, the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention had very good results in all items, as in Example 1.

Example 3 After cutting the same substrate as in Experimental Example 1 in the same procedure, 15 minutes after the end of the cutting process, the surface treatment apparatus shown in FIG.
The substrate surface was pretreated under the conditions shown below. Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4 under the conditions shown in Table 11 and in accordance with the procedure shown below. A photoreceptor was produced.

In FIG. 4, a reaction vessel 301 is composed of a base plate 302, a wall 303, and a top plate 304.
A base body 306 on which an amorphous silicon deposited film is formed is placed in the center of the cathode electrode 305 and also serves as an anode electrode.

[0141] In order to form an amorphous silicon deposited film on a substrate using this deposited film forming apparatus, first, the raw material gas inflow valve 307 and the leak valve 308 are closed, the exhaust valve 309 is opened, and the reaction vessel 301 is evacuated. do. When the reading on the vacuum gauge 310 reaches approximately 5 x 10-6 torr, the raw material gas inlet valve 307 is opened and the raw material gas, such as SiH4 gas, which has been adjusted to a predetermined mixing ratio in the mass flow controller 311, is introduced into the reaction vessel 301. Let it flow inside. After confirming that the surface temperature of the substrate 306 is set to a predetermined temperature by the heater 312, the high frequency power source 313 is set to a desired power to generate glow discharge in the reaction vessel 301.

[0142] Also, while the deposited film is being formed, the base 306 is moved by the motor 314 in order to make the deposited film uniform.
rotate at a constant speed. In this way, the base 306
An amorphous silicon deposited film can be formed thereon.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor thus obtained was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, in this example as well, the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention had very good results in all items, as in Example 1.

Example 4 Diameter 108 mm made of 99.5% pure aluminum
The surface of a cylindrical substrate with a length of 358 mm and a wall thickness of 5 mm was cut in the same manner as the above-described example of the procedure of the method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention, and 15 minutes after the cutting process was completed, the surface was cut as shown in FIG. The surface of the substrate was pretreated under the conditions shown in Table 13 using the surface treatment apparatus shown below.

In this example, a neutral detergent (trade name: Contaminon N, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) solution was used in place of triethane for pre-cleaning to remove cutting oil, chips, etc.

Thereafter, an amorphous silicon deposited film was formed on the substrate using the deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 under the conditions shown in Table 2, and a functionally separated electron film having the layer structure shown in FIG. A photographic photoreceptor was produced.

The electrophotographic photoreceptor thus obtained was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, in this example as well, the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method of the present invention had very good results in all items, as in Example 1.

[0148]

[Table 1]

[0149]

[Table 2]

[0150]

[Table 3]

[0151]

[Table 4]

[0152]

[Table 5]

[0153]

[Table 6]

[0154]

[Table 7]

[0155]

[Table 8]

[0156]

[Table 9]

[0157]

[Table 10]

[0158]

[Table 11]

[0159]

[Table 12]

[0160]

[Table 13]

[0161]

As explained above, according to the present invention, a non-single crystal deposited film containing silicon atoms and one or both of hydrogen atoms and fluorine atoms can be formed by plasma CVD.
In the method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor, the method includes a step of forming the deposited film on the surface of the metal substrate by a method, and a cutting step for removing the surface layer of the substrate to a predetermined thickness before the step of forming the deposited film. After this cutting step, a step of bringing water into contact with the surface of the cut substrate is carried out, so that an electrophotographic photoreceptor that gives a uniform high-quality image can be manufactured stably at low cost. is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a pretreatment device used to carry out the method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a deposited film forming apparatus for forming a deposited film on a cylindrical substrate by microwave plasma CVD.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a deposited film forming apparatus for forming a deposited film on a cylindrical substrate by RF plasma CVD.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the layer structure of an electrophotographic photoreceptor.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the layer structure of another electrophotographic photoreceptor.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a general transfer type electrophotographic apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a facsimile machine using the electrophotographic apparatus of FIG. 7 as a printer.

FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a cleaning device for cleaning a substrate as a pretreatment for forming a deposited film in a conventional method.

[Explanation of symbols]

101,610 Substrate 102,602 Processing tank 103,603 Substrate transport mechanism 111,611 Substrate loading table 121,621 Substrate cleaning tank 122,622 Cleaning liquid 131 Water treatment tank 132 Nozzle 141 Drying tank 142 Nozzle 151,651 Substrate unloading table 161, 661 Transport arm 162, 662 Moving mechanism 163, 663 Chucking mechanism 164, 66
4 Air cylinder 165, 665 Rail 201 Reaction container 202 Microwave introduction window 203 Waveguide 204 Exhaust pipe 205 Base 206 Discharge space 207 Heater 209 Rotating shaft 210 Motor 211 DC power supply 212 Bias electrode 301 Reaction container 302 Base plate 303 Wall 304 Top plate 305 Cathode electrode 306 Substrate 307 Raw material gas inflow valve 308 Leak valve 309 Exhaust valve 310 Vacuum gauge 311 Mass flow controller 312
Heater 313 High frequency power supply 314 Motor 401, 501 Base 402, 502 Charge injection blocking layer 403
Photoconductive layer 404, 504 Surface layer 505 Charge transport layer 506 Charge generation layer

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Manufacture of an electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising the step of forming a non-single crystal deposited film containing one or both of hydrogen atoms and fluorine atoms and silicon atoms on the surface of a metal substrate by plasma CVD method. In the method, before the step of forming the deposited film, a cutting step for removing the surface layer of the substrate to a predetermined thickness, and a step of bringing water into contact with the cut surface of the substrate after the cutting step. A method for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor, comprising: 2. The step of bringing water into contact with the surface of the substrate includes contacting the surface of the substrate with water of 2 kg·f/cm 2 or more and 30
2. The method for producing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, which comprises contacting with water at a pressure of 0 kg·f/cm 2 or less.