JPS60149050A - Photoconductive member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable prevention of image disturbance by providing a rosin layer on the uppermost shell of a photoconductive layer contg. silicon as a constituting atom. CONSTITUTION:A rosin layer 10 is formed by forming a photoconductive layer 9 contg. silicon as a constituting atom by a vacuum deposition method utilizing an electric discharge such as, for example, glow discharge method, sputtering method or ion plating method or the like on a substrate 8, the forming said layer by a coating method or dipping method. The layer thickness is preferably 0.1-5mum. The rosin consists essentially of abietic acid and is a kind of natural resin obtainable from pine and generically called colophonium. The rosin has excellent adhesion and water resistance and is therefore effective in preventing image disturbance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention relates to a photoconductive member that is sensitive to electromagnetic waves such as light (herein, light in a broad sense refers to ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, X-rays, gamma rays, etc.). Regarding.

Photoconductive materials forming photoconductive layers in solid-state imaging devices, electrophotographic image forming members in the image forming field, and document reading devices have a flatness sensitivity and an S/N ratio of C light. jE m
(Tp)/dark N current (Id)), has absorption spectrum characteristics that match the spectrum characteristics of the electromagnetic waves to be irradiated, has fast photoresponsiveness, has a desired dark resistance value, and has high resistance to the human body during use. Solid-state imaging devices are required to have characteristics such as being non-polluting, and being able to easily process afterimages within a predetermined time. Particularly in the case of an electrophotographic image forming member incorporated into an electrophotographic apparatus used in an office as a business machine, pollution-free property during use is an important point.

Conventionally, as a photoconductive material, 8 e 1Cd S'%
Zr+'0 etc. have been used. However, these materials have problems such as being harmful to the human body, having low hardness and being easily damaged, and being susceptible to heat.

Based on this perspective, light <s
The material is amorphous silicon (hereinafter referred to as ?tz a-S i
For example, German Publication No. 2746967
German Publication No. 2,855,718 describes an application to an electrophotographic image forming member, and German Published Publication No. 2,938,411 describes an application to a photoelectric conversion/reading device.

However, the conventional photoconductive member having a photoconductive layer composed of a-8i has poor electrical, optical, and photoconductive properties such as dark resistance, photosensitivity, and photoresponsiveness, and moisture resistance. The reality is that there are problems that need to be further improved in terms of environmental characteristics and furthermore, stability over time, which requires comprehensive improvement of characteristics.

Electrophotography using the above-mentioned photoconductive member is carried out by the following process using the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of a photoconductive member of an electrophotographic apparatus, in which 1 is a photoconductive member, 2 is a charger, 3 is an image exposure device, 4 is a developer, 5 is a transfer charger, and 6 is a photoconductive member. is transfer paper, 7
is a cleaning blade.

(2) Charge the photoconductive layer of the photoconductive member.

■Exposing the photoconductive layer to light to create an electrostatic latent image.

■Develop the latent image with fine particles.

■ Transfer the developed image to paper or other material.

■ Fusing and fixing the transferred image.

(2) Clean the photoconductive layer and repeat operations (2) to a).

Due to the above-mentioned problems, the a-8i photoconductive layer described above has
Image distortion is likely to occur. Specifically, water or moisture-absorbed substances adhere to the surface of the photoconductive layer, lowering the surface resistance, causing charges to move across the surface of the photoconductive layer, causing the electrostatic potential of the process ① mentioned above. This is due to the image being distorted.

In the photoconductive layer made of the conventional material □, almost no image disturbance was observed. Conventionally, in the above-mentioned process (2), because the hardness of the photoconductive layer was low, when cleaning it with a blade, the photoconductive layer was scraped off, albeit very slightly, and at the same time, the water and moisture adhering to the photoconductive layer were removed. It is thought that this did not cause any image disturbance because it also removed the substances that had been removed.

However, since silicon photoreceptors such as A-8I have a high surface hardness, the surface is not scraped off by cleaning with a blade or the like, and it is difficult to remove water or moisture-absorbed substances adhering to the surface.

In order to prevent the above phenomenon, a method has been proposed in which the surface of the photoconductive layer is heated and dried. However, photoconductive materials such as a-8i have relatively high heat resistance and can withstand up to about 200°C, but when humidity increases, the acceptance potential decreases and the properties as a photoconductive material are impaired. . In order to maintain the properties as a photoconductive material, heating can only be carried out to about 45°C, which is insufficient as a means for preventing image disturbance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductive member that can prevent image disturbance without impairing its properties as a photoconductive material.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by the following photoconductive member.

[Substrate] A photoconductive member having a second photoconductive layer containing silicon as a constituent atom, characterized in that a rosin layer is provided on the uppermost layer.

The rosin layer is preferably made of phenol-modified rosin or rosin ester.

In addition to phenol-modified rosin and rosin ester, hardened rosin such as lime rosin can be used.

The rosin layer is formed by a coating method or a dipping method after forming a photoconductive layer containing silicon as a constituent atom by a vacuum deposition method that utilizes a discharge phenomenon such as a glow discharge method, a sputtering method, or an ion blating method. do. The layer thickness is preferably 0.1 to FHtm, particularly preferably 111 m or less.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rosin layer 10 may be in direct contact with the photoconductive layer 9, or as shown in FIG. 8, a layer 11 such as 5iCsS+N may be provided between the photoconductive layer 9 and the rosin layer (In the figure, 8 is a substrate made of aluminum or the like).

Here, rosin is not shown in formula 1 and is generally called pine tar obtained from pine whose main component is abietic acid. It is a type of natural resin.

Rosin has excellent adhesion and water resistance, so it is effective in preventing image distortion. Phenol-modified rosin and rosin ester are particularly preferred because they have higher water resistance than rosin.

The photoconductive layer is mainly composed of silicon, but also contains BlC, N
, OlF, P, etc., depending on the purpose.

Specific examples of the present invention are shown below.

Example 1 A hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-8i:H) layer doped with oxygen was formed on an aluminum substrate by a glow discharge method. ! Formed thickly. Next, a SiC layer was formed to a thickness of 400 μm using a glow discharge method.

Furthermore, a phenol-modified rosin was applied to the surface to a thickness of 0.5 μm to provide a rosin layer, thereby producing an electrophotographic image forming member.

A conventional electrophotographic imaging member without a rosin layer was similarly prepared. Electrophotographs were taken of both at 35° C. and 85% relative humidity in a calyx atmosphere and compared.

Electrophotographs made with conventional electrophotographic image forming members were blurred and blurred, but in electrophotographs made with the electrophotographic image forming member of this embodiment, the images were clear. Image obtained.

Example 2 An electrophotographic image forming member was produced in the same manner as in Example except that the phenol-modified rosin was replaced with rosin ester. Using this electrophotographic image forming member, an electrophotograph was produced in an atmosphere of 35° C. and 85% relative humidity. Further, after being left in the same atmosphere for 24 hours, an electrophotograph was created. Clear images were obtained in all electrophotographs.

Next, 1,000 copies were made continuously, but no image disturbance was observed.

As shown in J2 below, it is possible to obtain -1- minute clearer images without heating the electrophotographic image forming member;
Heating may be performed to prevent the rosin itself from absorbing moisture.

The heating temperature is 40°C without losing the photoconductive properties of the photoconductive layer.
It is enough.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the area around the photoconductive member of an electrophotographic device;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a photoconductive member showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1...Photoconductive member, 2...Charger 3.
・・・・・・Image exposure device 4・・・・Advanced device 5・
...Transfer charger 6...Transfer paper 7...
... Cleaning blade 8 ... Substrate 9 ... Photoconductive layer 10 ...
・Rosin layer 11... Layer such as S i CXS + N Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A photoconductive member having a photoconductive layer containing silicon as a constituent atom on a substrate, characterized in that a rosin layer is provided on the outermost shell. (2) The photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the rosin layer is made of phenol-modified rosin. (3) The photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the rosin layer is made of rosin ester.