JPH06167823A - Amorphous silicon photosensitive body and device for forming thin film - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an amorphous silicon product such as an electrophotographic sensitive body not causing the peeling of a film and having high quality and high reliability. CONSTITUTION:The ends 4a of the peripheral surface of a cylindrical body 4 having 20-60mm outside diameter on which a film is formed or ends 7a, 8a of the peripheral surfaces of cylindrical bodies 7, 8 for dummies are rounded to form R faces having 0.2-1.0mm radius and the ends 3a of the peripheral surface of a cylindrical electrode 3 for glow discharge having 100-300mm outside diameter are rounded to form R faces having 5-10mm radius.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an amorphous silicon photoconductor and a thin film forming apparatus for forming an amorphous silicon layer by plasma CVD.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Amorphous silicon layer (hereinafter, amorphous silicon is abbreviated as a-Si)
The electrophotographic photoconductor made of (1) is available on the market, and a thin film forming apparatus such as a glow discharge decomposition device using plasma CVD is used to manufacture the photoconductor. According to this glow discharge decomposition apparatus, a cylindrical substrate is arranged inside a reaction chamber into which a film forming gas is introduced, and a film is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate by glow discharge plasma.

According to this glow discharge decomposition apparatus, a film-forming cylinder, a heater for heating a substrate and a glow discharge electrode plate provided therein are installed in a cylindrical metal reactor. A dummy cylinder is installed at the end of the film-forming cylinder to support the film-forming cylinder and to improve film formation on its peripheral surface. And a-Si
Introducing a generation gas into the reaction furnace, jetting it onto the film formation surface, setting the substrate to the required temperature with a heater, and causing glow discharge with the electrode plate,
Further, by rotating the film forming cylinder, an a-Si film is formed on the peripheral surface thereof.

However, when the glow discharge decomposition apparatus is used, the a-Si film on the peripheral edge of the film-forming cylinder is easily peeled off, and the peeled pieces scatter during film formation.
There is a problem that it enters during film formation and film defects occur.

[0007] Such a problem also occurs at the peripheral surface end of the dummy cylinder body. Also,
If the glow discharge electrode plate is a cylindrical body, there is a problem that the a-Si film is peeled off at the end portion of the peripheral surface thereof.

Further, the a-Si photoconductor manufactured by using the glow discharge decomposition apparatus, and the a-Si film at the end portion of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body is the film even after it is commercialized. There was a problem that the film peeled off during use due to the weak adhesion of the film.

In view of the above circumstances, the inventor of the present invention has made extensive studies, and as a result, found that the shape of the end portion of the peripheral surface of any cylindrical body has a great influence on solving the problem.

Therefore, the present invention has been completed based on the above findings, and the purpose thereof is to provide an a-Si photoconductor in which film peeling does not occur, and an a-Si film at the end of the peripheral surface of these cylindrical bodies during film formation. An object of the present invention is to provide a thin film forming apparatus for a-Si in which no peeling occurs.

[0009]

An a-Si photoconductor according to claim 1 has an outer diameter of 20 to 6 having an a-Si layer formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
It is characterized in that the end portion of the peripheral surface of the film forming cylinder having a thickness of 0 mm is an R surface.

In the thin film forming apparatus of claim 2, a-
Inside the reaction vessel into which the Si film forming gas is introduced, the plasma generating means and the film forming cylinder are installed,
The end of the peripheral surface has a radius of 0.2 to 1.0 m at the end of the cylindrical body.
A dummy cylinder having an R surface of m and an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm is arranged.

In the thin film forming apparatus of the third aspect, a-
Inside the reaction container into which the Si film-forming gas is introduced, a film-forming cylinder and a plasma generating means provided with a cylindrical electrode body having an outer diameter of 100 to 300 mm are installed, and the circumference of the electrode body is arranged. It is characterized in that the surface end portion is an R surface having a radius of 5 to 10 mm.

[0012]

According to the a-Si photosensitive member having the above structure, the end of the peripheral surface of the film-forming cylinder having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm and having the a-Si layer formed on the outer peripheral surface is the R surface. As a result, in the film-formed product, the a-Si layer formed at the end of the peripheral surface does not peel off.

According to the thin film forming apparatus having the above structure,
By forming the peripheral surface of the film forming cylinder or the dummy cylinder having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm into an R surface having a radius of 0.2 to 1.0 mm, the stress applied to the film at the end is significantly reduced. Therefore, a-Si at the end of the peripheral surface is
The film does not peel off, and the film defect does not occur. Similarly, when the peripheral surface end portion of the cylindrical electrode body having an outer diameter of 100 to 300 mm is formed into an R surface having a radius of 5 to 10 mm, the a-Si film at the peripheral surface end portion is not peeled off and a film defect occurs. Will not do.

[0014]

1 is a schematic plan view of a glow discharge decomposition apparatus 1 which is a thin film forming apparatus for a-Si according to the present invention and is capable of simultaneously producing a plurality of a-Si photoconductors, and FIG. FIG.

According to this glow discharge decomposition apparatus 1, 2 is a cylindrical reaction vessel, 2a is its upper body, 2b is its peripheral wall, 2c is its bottom body, and 3 is provided at the center of the reaction vessel 2. A cylindrical aluminum glow discharge electrode plate (outer diameter 200 mm, length 400 mm).
A plurality of aluminum cylindrical substrates 4 for film formation (outer diameter 30 mm, length 254 m) equidistantly and concentrically around
m) are arranged. Further, four gas ejection cylinders 5 provided with a large number of gas ejection holes on the outside thereof are arranged equidistantly and concentrically, and the gas is provided at the center of the bottom body 2c corresponding to the lower part of the glow discharge electrode plate 3. An exhaust port 6 is provided, and the gas released from the four gas ejection tubes 5 flows in the vicinity of the plurality of film-forming cylindrical substrates 4 and flows toward the gas exhaust port 6. .

The film forming cylindrical substrate 4 is arranged on the aluminum lower dummy cylindrical body 7, and further the aluminum upper dummy cylinder 8 is arranged on the film forming cylindrical substrate 4. In addition, the heater 9 is provided inside these three cylindrical bodies so as to heat the substrate 4 to a predetermined temperature. Then, the upper dummy cylindrical body 8 is rotationally driven by the motor 10 attached on the upper body 2a via the rotary shaft 11, and the three cylindrical bodies 4, 7, 8 are integrally formed with this. Rotate.

Reference numeral 12 is a high frequency power source, and 13 is a matching box. One output terminal of the matching box 13 is connected to the glow discharge electrode plate 3, and the other output terminal is a cylinder from the peripheral wall 2b through the rotary shaft 11 to form a cylinder. Body substrate 4,
A lid 14 is provided on the upper body 2a which is connected to the electrodes 7 and 8 and to which the electrode plate 3 is attached so as to be electrically insulated from the upper body 2a. As a result, discharge is generated between the glow discharge electrode plate 3 and the cylindrical bodies 4, 7, 8.

By the glow discharge decomposition apparatus 1 having the above-mentioned structure,
In order to manufacture a —Si photoconductor, the cylindrical bodies 4, 7 and 8 are rotated under the above power application system and gas flow system, and the substrate temperature is raised to about 275 ° C. by the heater 10 provided therein. Then, the a-Si layer is vapor-phase grown on the peripheral surface of each cylindrical substrate 4 by the glow discharge. The gas decomposition residual gas generated by the vapor phase growth is discharged through the gas discharge port 6. The arrow in the figure indicates the gas flow.

Further, FIG. 3 shows the cylindrical substrate 4 for film formation.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an arrangement state of an aluminum lower dummy cylinder body 7 and an aluminum upper dummy cylinder body 8, and a convex body is provided on each substrate 4 side of the upper and lower dummy cylinder bodies 7, 8. A structure is provided in which these convex bodies are fitted to both ends of the cylindrical substrate 4, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the glow discharge electrode plate 3.

According to FIG. 3, both end portions 4a, 4b of the peripheral surface of the film forming cylindrical substrate 4 having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm are curved R surfaces, and the radius thereof is 0.2 to 1.0 mm. Also,
The peripheral surface end portions 7a and 8a of the dummy cylindrical bodies 7 and 8 having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm are R surfaces having a radius of 0.2 to 1.0 mm. In the figure, the outer diameters of the cylindrical substrate 4 and the dummy cylinders 7 and 8 are substantially the same, but the outer diameters of the two may be appropriately different. Further, the outer diameter is 100 to 300 m
The peripheral surface end 3a of the m discharge electrode plate 3 for the glow discharge is an R surface having a radius of 5 to 10 mm.

The experimental results of the present inventor will be described in detail below. In the glow discharge decomposition apparatus 1 having the above configuration, the high frequency power 7
Under a gas flow system in which a power application system of 00 W and a monosilane of 1000 sccm and diborane of 10 sccm were introduced in a mixed state and the gas pressure was set to 0.05 Torr, the thickness of the peripheral surface of each cylindrical substrate 4 was increased by glow discharge. 35
A micron a-Si layer was vapor grown. In addition, the end portions 4a, 4b, 7 of the cylindrical substrate 4 or the dummy cylinders 7, 8 are formed.
When the radius of the R surface of a and 8a (unit: mm) was changed to any number and the presence or absence of the peeling state of the end portion after film formation was visually confirmed, the results shown in Table 1 were obtained. Further, in the same table, in images obtained by individual a-Si photoconductors, the diameter of the area corresponding to one revolution of the photoconductor is 0.1 m.
The result of measuring the number of black spots of m or more and these a-Si
The results obtained by immersing the photoreceptor in water for 24 hours and visually confirming the presence or absence of peeling at each end are shown. Moreover, the number of black dots of this image was 30 or more. It should be noted that in the table, the mark ◯ indicates that there was no peeling and the mark x indicates that there was peeling.

[0022]

[Table 1]

In the above experiment, the results are obtained when the outer diameter of the cylindrical substrate 4 or the dummy cylinders 7 and 8 is 30 mm. If the outer diameter is within the range of 20 mm to 60 mm, the R surface It was experimentally confirmed that a good result can be obtained by setting the radius of 0.2 to 1.0 mm.

Next, the peripheral surface end portion 3 of the glow discharge electrode plate 3
When the presence or absence of the peeling condition of the edge portion after film formation was visually confirmed by changing the R surface radius of a (unit: mm) to any number, the results shown in Table 2 were obtained. Further, in the same table, in the images obtained by the individual a-Si photoconductors, the diameter of 0.1
The result of measuring the number of black dots of mm or more, and a of these
The results obtained by immersing the -Si photosensitive member in water for 24 hours and visually confirming the presence or absence of peeling at each end are also shown.

[0025]

[Table 2]

The above experiment shows the result when the outer diameter of the glow discharge electrode plate 3 is 200 mm. If the outer diameter is in the range of 100 to 300 mm, the radius of the R surface is 5 to 10 mm. It was confirmed experimentally that good results can be obtained by

Thus, the aS produced by this embodiment is
According to the i-photoreceptor, the peripheral surface end of the cylindrical substrate 4 having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm and having the a-Si layer formed on the outer peripheral surface is the R surface. When using, the a-Si layer formed at the end of the peripheral surface did not peel off. Moreover, such a-Si
According to the thin-film forming apparatus having the above-described structure for manufacturing a photoconductor product, the peripheral surface of the cylindrical substrate 4 or the dummy cylinders 7 and 8 is formed into the R surface, so that the stress applied to the film at the end is reduced. It becomes extremely small, whereby the a-Si film at the peripheral surface end portion is not peeled off, and the peripheral surface end portion of the glow discharge electrode plate 3 is also made to be the R surface. The a-Si film did not peel off.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition to the glow discharge decomposition apparatus, the reaction is not limited. CV for reactive sputtering equipment
D device may be used.

[0029]

As described above, according to the a-Si photosensitive member of the present invention, the peripheral end portion of the film-forming cylinder having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm and having the a-Si layer formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Is the R surface, which prevents the a-Si layer formed at the end of the peripheral surface from peeling off in the film-formed product, resulting in high-quality and highly reliable electrons. We were able to provide a-Si products such as photographic photoreceptors.

Further, according to the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the peripheral end portion of the film forming cylinder or the dummy cylinder having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm is formed into an R surface having a radius of 0.2 to 1.0 mm. By doing so, the stress applied to the film at the end portion is significantly reduced, whereby the a-Si film at the end portion of the peripheral surface does not peel off and the film defect does not occur. As a result, this thin film forming apparatus By using it, a high quality and highly reliable a-Si product such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member could be provided.

Further, according to the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical electrode body having an outer diameter of 100 to 300 mm is also made to have an R surface having a radius of 5 to 10 mm.
The a-Si film at the end of the peripheral surface was not peeled off, and no film defect was generated, so that it was possible to provide a high-quality and highly reliable a-Si product.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a glow discharge decomposition apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial vertical cross-sectional view of the glow discharge decomposition apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an arrangement state of a film forming cylindrical substrate and a dummy cylindrical body.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a glow discharge electrode plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Reactor 3 Electrode plate for glow discharge 4 Cylindrical substrate for film formation 7 Cylinder for lower dummy 8 Cylinder for upper dummy 4a, 7a, 8a Edge of peripheral surface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An amorphous silicon photosensitive member, characterized in that an end portion of a peripheral surface of a film forming cylinder having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm and an amorphous silicon layer formed on an outer peripheral surface is an R surface. 2. A plasma generating means and a film-forming cylinder are installed inside a reaction vessel into which an amorphous silicon film-forming gas is introduced, and an end of the peripheral surface is provided at an end of the cylinder. A thin film forming apparatus having a R-plane with a radius of 0.2 to 1.0 mm and a dummy cylinder having an outer diameter of 20 to 60 mm. 3. A film forming cylinder and an outer diameter of 10 in a reaction vessel into which an amorphous silicon film forming gas is introduced.
A thin film forming apparatus characterized in that a plasma generating means having a cylindrical electrode body of 0 to 300 mm is installed, and an end portion of a peripheral surface of the electrode body is an R surface having a radius of 5 to 10 mm.