JPS61282846A - Photoconductor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the electrostatic charging capacity by forming a blocking layer of amorphous Si, a carrier generating layer contg. microcrystalline Si as the principal component and a carrier transferring layer of amorphous Si on an electrically conductive support. CONSTITUTION:A blocking layer 24a, a carrier transferring layer 24b, a carrier generating layer 24c and a surface layer 24e are successively formed on an electrically conductive drum-shaped substrate 12. The blocking layer 24a is made of amorphous Si contg. a group III or V element in the periodic table and/or one or more kinds of atoms selected among C, O and N. The carrier generating layer 24c contains microcrystalline Si besides amorphous Si having the same composition as the amorphous Si forming the blocking layer 24a. The carrier transferring layer 24b is made of amorphous Si having the same composition as the amorphous Si forming the blocking layer 24a. Thus, a product having superior heat and moisture resistances, high mechanical strength and satisfactory electrostatic charging performance and harmless to the human body can be produced.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a photoconductor that forms an electrostatic latent image in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic apparatus. [Technical background of the invention and its problems] In recent years, with the diversification of functions and models of image forming devices such as electrophotographic devices, cadmium sulfide [Cd5] and zinc oxide (ZnO) have been used as photoconductive materials. , selenium [Sa
A variety of materials have been developed, including inorganic materials such as l, selenite alloy (Ss-To), and organic materials such as poly-N, -vinylcarbazole (hereinafter referred to as PVCz), and trinitrofluorene (hereinafter referred to as TNF). ing. However, among the photoconductive materials, selenium (Se),
Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is a material that is inherently harmful to the human body, so the manufacturing equipment becomes complicated for safety reasons, which increases manufacturing costs.
It is necessary to collect it after use, which further increases the cost.
Since e) has a low crystallization temperature of about 65 ('C), it is easy to crystallize, and residual charges are generated in the crystallized part, which tends to cause problems such as staining the image. Zinc oxide (
Due to its physical properties, oxidation-reduction tends to occur in ZnO),
It is significantly affected by environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, resulting in unstable image quality and poor reliability. Furthermore, organic materials such as (PVCz) and (TNF) have poor thermal stability and wear resistance, making it difficult to extend their service life, and recently they have also been suspected of being carcinogenic. For this reason, in recent years, in order to solve the above drawbacks, it is non-polluting, does not require recovery treatment, has a high surface hardness, has excellent abrasion resistance and impact resistance, and has a higher visible light range than before. Amorphous silicon with spectral sensitivity (hereinafter a-
3i) is being studied for application to photoconductive materials such as photoreceptors. Specifically, the photoreceptor is required to have high resistance and high photosensitivity, and in order to satisfy both of these characteristics, the conductive support and (a-3i) photoconductive layer are A laminated type (a-5L) in which a blocking layer is provided in between and a surface charge retention layer is layered on the (a-5L) photoconductive layer.
3i) A photoreceptor has been developed. However, when (a-5i) is formed by a glow discharge decomposition method using a gas containing silane (Si), (a-5i)
There is a problem in that the electrical characteristics and optical characteristics vary greatly depending on the amount of hydrogen atoms [H] incorporated into the Si) film. That is, (a-3i) As the amount of hydrogen atoms [H] incorporated into the film increases, the optical bandgap becomes larger and the resistance becomes higher. (S
iHz) n) Those with bond structures such as bonds and (SiH, ] bonds. (a-3i) become dominant in the film, and as a result, (SiH)
The problem is that bonds are broken, structural defects such as dangling bonds and voids increase, and photoconductivity deteriorates. On the other hand (a-5i) Hydrogen atoms (H) incorporated into the film
When the amount of H is low, the spectral sensitivity to long wavelength light increases, but the optical bandgap becomes smaller, resulting in lower resistance, and hydrogen atoms (H) no longer fill the dangling bonds. This poses a problem in that the mobility and life of the generated carriers decreases, and the photoconductivity also deteriorates, making it impossible to use them in photoreceptors. Therefore, as a method to increase the spectral sensitivity to long wavelength light, a method is to mix a gas containing silane [Si] and germane gas (GaH,) and form a film with a narrow optical band gap by glow discharge decomposition method. However, in general, the optimum support temperature during glow discharge is silane (
4 for Si)-containing gas and germane (GeH<) gas.
Although the difference is from 0 to 50 [degrees], it is easy to cause structural defects in the formed film, and the photoconductivity is also deteriorated2.Furthermore, germane gas (GeH4) becomes toxic when oxidized. The drawback is that the waste gas treatment is also complicated. [Object of the invention] This invention was made based on the above circumstances, and although it has excellent charging characteristics due to its high resistance, it also has high spectral sensitivity characteristics in the visible light and near infrared regions. The object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductor which has excellent mechanical strength such as abrasion resistance and thermal stability, and which is easy to manufacture and can reduce costs. [Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses amorphous silicon (hereinafter referred to as a-5i) as a blocking layer among a blocking layer, a carrier transport layer, and a carrier generation layer provided on a conductive support. ), and the carrier generation layer is mainly made of microcrystalline silicon (hereinafter referred to as
By forming a carrier transport layer of (referred to as μm-3i) and (a-3L), a photoconductor with excellent charging ability and high spectral sensitivity characteristics even in the near-infrared light region can be obtained. It is. [Embodiments of the Invention] In explaining the present invention in detail, the characteristics of (μC-5L) will be described. This (μc-Si) belongs to non-single-crystal silicon, but when X-ray diffraction measurements are performed, a halo appears because (a-Si) is Kerr amorphous, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 5. In contrast, (μc-5i) shows a crystal diffraction pattern when [2θ] is around 27 to 28.5 (degrees), as shown by the solid line in Figure 5. . on the other hand. Polycrystalline silicon has a dark resistance of 106 [Ω/country]
Whereas (μc-Si) is 10” (Ω・1
It has a high resistance of 3 or more. Due to the characteristics mentioned above (
μc-5L) is another non-single crystal silicon (a-5
It is distinguished from i) and polycrystalline silicon, and its structure is thought to be formed by an aggregation of microcrystals with a grain size of about several dozen or more. And like this (μc-5i)
To produce (a-Si), sputtering and
Although it depends on the glow discharge decomposition method, (a-5i) Formation becomes easier if the temperature of the conductive support on which the film is formed is set higher or the high frequency power is increased compared to the time of production. That is, by raising the temperature of the support and increasing the high-frequency power, the flow rate of the raw material silane (Si)-containing gas can be increased, and as a result, the film formation rate is increased (μc-5i
) is likely to be formed. Furthermore, as a raw material, higher-order silane gases such as silane (SiHJ and disilane (SL,) 1, 3 are included. In addition, in the (μc-3i) layer to be formed, the higher the hydrogen content, the higher the crystallinity, approaching that of polycrystalline silicon, and the dark resistance becomes smaller, whereas the bright In order to obtain excellent photoconductive properties with a good balance between dark resistance and bright resistance, it is necessary to add hydrogen CI () in the (μc-3L) layer. Doping hydrogen (H) into this (μc-5i) layer, which preferably contains 0.1 to 30 [atomic %], is performed using silane [5i)I4] or disilane (
Silane such as SiJs) [Sil-containing gas and hydrogen gas [H2] as a carrier gas are introduced into the reaction vessel to perform glow discharge, or silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4)
The reaction is carried out using a mixed gas of silicon halide such as or trichlorosilane (SiCL) and hydrogen gas [H2] as a raw material, or furthermore, the reaction is carried out using a mixed gas of a silane (SL)-containing gas and a silicon halide as a raw material. It's okay. Furthermore, in the (μc-Si) layer, hydrogen atoms ( H
) In addition to doping, impurities are doped, but in order to make the p-type, suitable impurity elements include elements from group Ⅰ of the periodic table, such as boron [B] and aluminum (1), and on the other hand, n For making molds, elements of group Ⅰ of the periodic table, such as nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P], are suitable. In addition, nitrogen (N
), carbon (C), and oxygen

It is desirable to dope with at least one kind of [0]. If this is done, these elements will precipitate at the grain boundaries of (μC1-5i), act as terminators of dangling bonds of silicon (Sil), and exist in the forbidden band between bands. This is because it reduces the density of states.Next, an embodiment of the present invention using (μc-3i) having the above-mentioned characteristics will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.Glow discharge device (lO) Inside the reaction vessel (11) is a support rod which is a conductive support and has a built-in heater (13) and is rotated by a motor (14) in order to support a drum-shaped substrate (12) made of aluminum. (16)
is provided. Also, the area around the support rod (16) is 13
．． Surrounded by a cylindrical electrode (18) connected to a high frequency power source (17) of 56 (MHz), and a support rod (16)
Above are silane gas (SiH4) and diborane gas (oz
A large number of gas cylinders (19a
)...(19n) and a gas supply system (20) having a gas mixer (20a) is provided with a gas introduction pipe (21) connected via a gas introduction valve (21a). In addition, (8a)...(8n) are each gas cylinder (19a)'-
The valves (19n) and (9a)...(9,n) are pressure regulators. Further, (22) is an exhaust valve connected to an exhaust device (not shown) for evacuating the inside of the reaction vessel (11), and (23) is a vacuum gauge for measuring the atmospheric pressure inside the reaction vessel (11). Further, (24) and (25) are the first and second photoreceptors of the electrophotographic device which are photoconductors, and the second
In the figure, a first blocking layer (24a), a first carrier transport layer (24b) are sequentially formed on a drum-shaped substrate (12).
), a first photoconductive layer (24d) consisting of a first carrier generation layer (24c), and a first surface layer (24e) are laminated. Note that the order of the first photoconductive layer (24d) may be changed, and in this case, as shown in FIG.
12) a second photoconductive layer (25d) consisting of, in order, a second carrier generation layer (25a), a second blocking layer (25b) and a second carrier transport layer (25c), and a second surface; The layer (25e) will be laminated. However, in this case, each blocking layer (24a), (25a) is such that during corona discharge of each photoreceptor (24), (25), charges of opposite polarity to the electrical charge are transferred from the drum-shaped substrate (12) to each carrier. While preventing the injection of carriers into the transport layers (24b) and (25c), carrier pairs generated in the respective carrier generation layers (24c) and (25b) during exposure of the photoreceptors (24) and (25) are Among them, carriers having the same polarity as the charged charges are allowed to smoothly flow into the drum-shaped substrate (12). As the blocking layer (24a) = (25a) having such a function, a high-resistance and insulating type can be considered, but for example, when positively charging the surfaces of the photoreceptors (24) and (25), ,
(a-3i) and (μC-5L) are doped with elements from group Ⅰ of the periodic table to make them p-type, and electrons are injected from the drum-shaped substrate (12). while blocking the photoreceptor (24). (25) When negatively charging the surface (a-SL)
(μc-9i) with elements from group Ⅰ of the periodic table 1×10
If the material is doped by 3 to 2 [atomic %] to make it n-type and block the injection of holes from the drum-shaped substrate (12), higher functionality and better photosensitive characteristics can be obtained. . In addition, carbon (C) is added to these (a-5i) and (μc-5i),
Oxygen [O]. At least one of nitrogen (N) from 0.1 to 20[
Atomic %] By doping, the dark resistance can be increased and the characteristics can be improved. The film thickness is preferably 100 [μm] to 10 [μm], more preferably 0.1 [μm] to 2 [μm]. Next, the carrier transport layers (24b) and (25c) allow the carriers generated in the carrier generation layers (24c) and (25b) to efficiently reach the drum-shaped substrate (12), and further improve the charging ability in the dark. It may be made of either (a-3i) or (μc-Si) as long as it can have a high potential holding ability, and it may be made of either (a-3i) or (μc-Si), and any of the elements of group Ⅰ or group V of the periodic table may be added to these. lXl0″″7~l
By doping Xl0-'' (atomic %), the dark resistance can be increased and the charging ability can be improved. Furthermore, carbon (C), nitrogen [N], oxygen (0)
If at least one of these is doped in an amount of 0.1 to 20 [atomic %], the charging ability will be improved, and both the carrier transport and potential holding functions will be improved. Furthermore, the carrier transport layer (2
4b), if (25c) consists of (a-5i),
Structural defects such as dangling bonds and voids can be corrected by doping with hydrogen (H). Furthermore, if the carrier transport layers (24b) and (25c) are too thin or too thick, they will not be able to perform their functions satisfactorily, and the thickness is preferably 3 [μ■] to 80 [μm]. Next is the carrier generation layer (24c). (zsb) absorbs light of any wavelength and generates photogenerated carriers, and is partially or mostly composed of (μC-3L) so as to have spectral sensitivity to long wavelength light. IXl0-'~1x10-3 [atomic%
] If you do this, you can obtain p-type in the former case,
In the latter case, n-type can be obtained. The thickness of this film may be as thin as <; 0.1 (μm) to 1° [μm] is preferable.Finally, the surface layer (24e),
(25e) protects the surface, prevents light reflection, improves light transmittance, and retains charge, and contains carbon [C], nitrogen [N], and oxygen.

Set any one of [0] to 1
It is made of inorganic compounds such as (a-5i) and aluminum oxide CAnz 03 ) containing 0 to 50 [atomic %] gold, or organic materials such as polyliquefied vinyl, and its film thickness is 100 [people]
~20 [μm] is better, more preferably 0.1 [μm]
~2 [μm] is considered appropriate. Therefore, the photoreceptor (24) in the glow discharge device (10),
(25) After setting the drum-shaped substrate (12) on the support rod (16), open the exhaust valve (22) to bring the inside of the reaction vessel (11) to a predetermined atmospheric pressure.
(not shown) performs exhaust gas treatment, and a heater (1
3) heats the drum-shaped substrate (12) to a predetermined temperature. Then, the gas supply system (20
), a required predetermined gas is introduced into the reaction vessel (11), and while the gas pressure inside the reaction vessel (11) is maintained constant, the drum-shaped substrate (12) and the cylindrical electrode are heated by the high-frequency power source (17). (18) Apply the necessary power for a predetermined time to form the blocking layers (24a) and (25a).Subsequently, in the same reaction vessel (11), the drum-shaped substrate (
12), the film forming conditions such as the temperature and introduced gas, as well as the amount of electric power and the time of applying electric power, are reset to the prescribed values, and the photoreceptor (2) is deposited on the blocking layers (24a) and (25a)
24), depending on the structure of (25), the carrier transport layer (
24b), (25c) and carrier generation layer (24c)
) and (25b) in any order to form a photoconductive layer (24
d) and (25d) are formed. Furthermore, each film forming condition was reset to the predetermined one in the same reaction vessel (11),
A surface layer (24) is formed on the photoconductive layer (24d) and (2sd).
a) , (25a) is formed into a film, photoreceptor, (24) (2
5) Finish the formation. Next, several specific examples of the effects of this embodiment will be described. (Specific Example 1) First, the drum-shaped base (12) is set on the support rod (16), the exhaust valve (22) is opened, and the exhaust device (not shown) is installed.
The inside of the reaction vessel (11) is evacuated to 0.1 (Torr) or less, and the drum-shaped substrate (
12) is heated to 350 ("C). Next, from the gas supply system (20), nitrogen gas [N2] is supplied at 5 to 50% of the flow rate of silane gas (SiH4) through the gas introduction pipe (21).
0 [%], diborane gas (B2Hゎ) 0.01-5 [
%] The mixed gas is introduced into the reaction vessel (11), and the pressure inside the reaction vessel (11) is reduced to 0 using an exhaust device (not shown).
．． 3 (Torr) while rotating the drum-shaped base (12) with the motor (14).
7), the power of the zoo (w) is transferred to the drum-shaped base (12
) and the cylindrical electrode (18) for 45 minutes. (a-3L) first blocking layer (24a)
After forming the film, the supply of electricity and various gases is stopped. Next, diborane gas (B,
2) A gas mixture of 0.01 to 3 [%] It3 and 1 to 300 [%] nitrogen gas [N2] is introduced, and the pressure inside the reaction vessel (11) is reduced to 0 using an exhaust device (not shown). .4(T
While rotating the drum-shaped substrate (12) while maintaining the drum-shaped substrate (12) at the same temperature as the drum-shaped substrate (12), a power of 200 (It) was applied by the high-frequency power source (17) between the drum-shaped substrate (12) and the cylindrical electrode (18) for 3 hours, A first carrier transport layer (24b) made of (a-SL) is formed on the first blocking layer (24a), and the supply of electric power and various gases is stopped. Next, hydrogen gas [N2] and helium gas (He) are added to the reaction vessel (11) from the gas supply system (20) in a total amount of 10 to 1000% with respect to the flow rate of silane gas (SiH4), diborane gas (B2H ,) at 0 to 2 [%], methane gas (C
H4) and nitrogen gas [N2] in a total of 0.01 to 25 [
%] mixed gas is introduced, and while the pressure inside the reaction vessel (11) is maintained at 0.6 (Torr) by an exhaust device (not shown) and the drum-shaped substrate (12) is rotated, a high-frequency power source ( 17), a power of 300 [s] was applied between the drum-shaped substrate (12) and the cylindrical electrode (18) for 5 hours,
(a-5i) and (μc) on the carrier transport layer (24b)
A carrier generation layer (24c) made of a mixture of -5i) is formed, and the supply of electric power and various gases is stopped. Finally, silane gas (a mixture of methane gas (CH4) and nitrogen gas [N2] in equal amounts to several tens of times the SiHJ flow rate is introduced into the reaction vessel (11) from the gas supply system (20). The pressure inside the reaction vessel (11) was set to 0.3 (To
While rotating the drum-shaped substrate (12) while maintaining the temperature at
-3L) is formed, and the supply of electricity and gas is stopped to complete the production of the first photoreceptor (24). The film thickness of the first photoreceptor (24) thus obtained is approximately 20 [μm], and the first carrier generation layer (24) is approximately 20 μm thick.
When the crystallinity and crystal grain size of (μc-SL) in 4c) were measured by X-ray diffraction method, the crystallinity was 20 (%
], and the crystal grain size was 50 [persons]. Further, this first photoreceptor (24) is exposed to 5
(kV), the charging capacity was 300 [V
], and when this first photoreceptor (24) was loaded into the main body of an electrophotographic apparatus (not shown) and copies were made, it had excellent heat resistance, moisture resistance, abrasion resistance, etc., and produced 250,000 copies. ]Even after repeated copying, clear and high-quality images were obtained that remained almost the same as the initial images. Furthermore, this first photoreceptor (2
When we measured the spectral sensitivity of 4) and the spectral sensitivity of a conventional photoreceptor (I!l not shown) in which the carrier generation layer consists only of (a-3i), we found that the conventional photoreceptor indicated by the dotted line in Fig. Compared to the photoreceptor, this first photoreceptor (2
4) has higher sensitivity at wavelengths of 650 (n■) or more (visible light region and near-infrared region), and is fully applicable to laser beam printers, etc. (Specific Example 2) This ( Specific example 2) is the first carrier transport layer (24b) and first carrier generation layer (24c) of the above-mentioned (specific example 1).
The order of film formation is reversed, and the first carrier transport layer (24
In place of diborane gas CB2 [1] during film formation in b),
A reaction gas in which phosphine gas (pH, ) was mixed at o, oos to 2% with respect to the flow rate of silane gas (SiB6) was used, and the rest was exactly the same as (Specific Example 1). That is, in this example, a second blocking layer (25a) similar to (Example 1) is provided on the drum-shaped substrate (12).
After forming a film, a second carrier generation layer (25b) similar to that in (Specific Example 1) is formed on this second blocking layer (25a).
), then a second carrier transport layer (25c) is formed under the above conditions, and then a second surface layer (25e) similar to (Specific Example 1) is formed. . The charging characteristics and spectral sensitivity characteristics of the second photoreceptor (25) formed in this way, as well as the number of sheets that can be continuously copied, etc.
Similar results were obtained as in 24). (Specific Example 3) In this (Specific Example 3), in (Specific Example 1), the temperature of the drum-shaped substrate (12) is lowered to 290 [''C], and diborane gas is used in the first blocking layer (24a). (as
0 instead of phosphine gas (PH,)
．． 01 to 3 [%], phosphine gas [PH33 0.01 to 2 [%]] in place of diborane gas (o'z H,) in the first carrier transport layer (24b), and first carrier generation pII ( 24c), diborane gas (
Except for using phosphine gas (reactive gas with pH31 of 1 [%] or less) instead of
) Under exactly the same conditions □. Even in the photoreceptor (not shown) formed in this way, the charging characteristics are opposite polarities, and the first and second photoreceptors (24),
Almost the same characteristics as (25) were obtained, and good image formation was possible. With this configuration, each carrier generation layer (24c)
, Since (25b) is formed from a mixture of (p c-3i) and (a-SL), it exhibits better performance in the visible light region and near-infrared region compared to one consisting only of (a-3i). It has high sensitivity, improves image quality, and can be applied to laser printers, etc., and its lifespan can be extended. Furthermore, since the materials of these photoconductors (24) and (25) are harmless to the human body, no special safety measures are required during manufacture, and there is no need to treat waste gas. There is no need to earn a single income. As a result, costs can be reduced. Also, if each surface layer (24e) and (25a) is provided as in this embodiment,
Protect each photoconductive layer (24d) and (25d),
It is possible to prolong the life of each of the photoreceptors (24) and (25), and to prevent a decrease in light absorption efficiency in each of the photoconductive layers (24d) and (25d), thereby improving image quality. In other words, (μc-3i) has a relatively large refractive index of 3 to 4 due to its characteristics and tends to cause light reflection on the surface, but the surface layer (24
By providing the layers e) and (25e), this light reflection is prevented, the amount of light absorbed by the photoconductive layers (24d) and (25d) is increased, and a clear image can be obtained. Note that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes are possible.1 For example, (μc-Si) in the carrier generation layer
The ratio of 10 is completely arbitrary, and as long as the charging ability is improved by the blocking layer and the carrier transport layer, 10
It may be 0 [%] (μc-5i). Further, the mixture of (μc-3i) and (a-5i) may be one dispersed and mixed in a single layer, or (
A thin layer of μc-5i) and a thin layer of (a-5L) may be stacked. Furthermore, the structure of the photoconductor is completely arbitrary; as long as it can maintain charging ability, a blocking layer is not necessary, and as long as it can compensate for abrasion resistance and light reflection, it can be used without a surface layer. good. In addition, the blocking layer, carrier transport layer, and carrier generation layer 1 in the examples
The thickness of each surface layer is also arbitrary, and the manufacturing method is also optical CV.
D method, sputtering method, etc. may be used. [Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the carrier generation layer has excellent heat resistance, moisture resistance, and mechanical strength (μc-
By using 3L), the spectral sensitivity in the visible light region and the near-infrared region can be improved, the image quality can be improved, and it can also be applied to laser printers, etc., and its life can be extended. In addition, it can be manufactured safely using a closed system manufacturing equipment using a reaction vessel, and since the material is harmless to the human body, there is no need to install waste gas treatment equipment, and the photoreceptor can be cleaned after use. There is no need for recovery, and as a result, economical efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, by providing a surface layer as in the embodiment, a longer life can be achieved, and by providing a blocking layer, the charging ability can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the film forming apparatus, and Figure 2 is the first
3 is a partial sectional view showing the second photoreceptor, FIG. 4 is a graph showing its spectral sensitivity characteristics, and FIG. 5 is a graph showing (μC-5i) and ( It is a graph showing the X-ray diffraction of a-5i). (10) Glow discharge device, (11) Reaction container,
(12) drum-shaped base, (13) heater,
(16) Support rod, (17) High frequency power supply, (18) Cylindrical electrode, (20) Gas supply system, (24) First photoreceptor, (24a) First blocking layer, (24b) First carrier transport layer, (24c) first carrier generation layer, (24a) first surface layer, (25) second photoreceptor, (25a)
second blocking layer, (25b) second carrier generation layer, (25c) second carrier transport layer, (25e
) second surface layer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A photoconductive layer comprising a blocking layer, a carrier generation layer and a carrier transport layer is provided on a conductive support, wherein the blocking layer has a photoconductive layer based on a photoconductive layer selected from group I of the periodic table.
Group II elements or Group V elements of the periodic table and/or carbon,
The carrier generation layer is made of amorphous silicon containing at least one atom of oxygen or nitrogen, and the carrier generation layer has microcrystalline silicon in the layer,
or an element in Group V of the periodic table, and further contains at least one atom of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the carrier transport layer contains at least one atom of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. Furthermore, a photoconductor comprising amorphous silicon containing an element of Group III of the periodic table or an element of Group V of the periodic table. 2. The blocking layer has a thickness of 100 [Å] to 10 [μ]
m], the carrier generation layer has a film thickness of 0.1 [μm] to 5 [μm], and the carrier transport layer has a film thickness of 3 [μm].
The photoconductor according to claim 1, wherein the photoconductor has a thickness of from 80 [μm] to 80 [μm]. 3. The film thickness between the surfaces of the photoconductive layer is 100 [Å] to 20 [μm].
3. The photoconductor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the photoconductor is provided with a surface layer. 4. The photoconductor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface layer is made of amorphous silicon containing at least one atom among carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. 5. The photoconductor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carrier generation layer contains hydrogen atoms. 6. The photoconductor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the carrier generation layer is made of a mixture of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon.