JPS61295562A - Photoconductive member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a photoconductive member having excellent electrostatic chargeability, low residual potential, high sensitivity over a wide wavelength region, good adhesiveness to a substrate and excellent environment resistance by using microcrystalline silicon in at least part of the photoconductive member. CONSTITUTION:This photoconductive member has a conductive base 21, a barrier layer 22 formed on the base 21 and a photoconductive layer 23 formed on the barrier layer 22. At least parts of the barrier layer 22 and the photoconductive layer 23 are formed of the microcrystalline silicon contg. the element belonging to the group III or V of the periodic table and the proper regions on the surface side and conductive base side of the photoconductive layer 23 and the barrier layer 22 contain at least one kind of the element selected from carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. The element concn. changes from the surface and/or boundary between the barrier layer and the conductive base toward the inside. The photoconductive member which has high resistance and excellent electrostatic charge characteristic, has the high photosensitive characteristic in visible light and near IR region, permits easy production and has high practicability is thus obtd.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention is used for electrophotographic photoreceptors, etc., and has charging characteristics,
The present invention relates to a photoconductive member having excellent photosensitivity characteristics, environmental resistance, etc.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] Conventionally, as materials for forming the photoconductive layer of an electrophotographic photoreceptor, inorganic materials such as CdS, ZnO5Se, 5e-Te, or amorphous silicon, or poly-N-vinylcarbazole (PVCz) have been used. ) or trinitrofluorene (T
Organic materials such as NF) are used. however,
These conventional photoconductive materials have various problems in terms of photoconductive properties or manufacturing, and these materials are used depending on the purpose of use, sacrificing the properties of the photoreceptor system to some extent.

For example, Se and CdS are materials that are harmful to the human body, and special consideration must be given to safety measures when manufacturing them. Therefore, there are problems in that the manufacturing equipment becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost is high, and in particular, Se needs to be recovered, which adds to the recovery cost. Also,
In the Se or 5e-Te system, the crystallization temperature is 65°C
Since the photoconductivity is low, problems with photoconductive properties arise due to residual electricity during repeated copying, resulting in a short lifespan and low practicality.

Furthermore, ZnO is susceptible to oxidation-reduction and is significantly affected by the environmental atmosphere, resulting in a problem of low reliability in use.

Furthermore, organic photoconductive materials such as PVCz and TNF are suspected to be carcinogens and present human health concerns, and organic materials have low thermal stability and abrasion resistance. , has the disadvantage of short lifespan.

On the other hand, amorphous silicon (hereinafter abbreviated as a-SL)
has recently attracted attention as a photoconductive conversion material, and is being actively applied to solar cells, thin film transistors, and image sensors. As part of this application of a-8i, attempts have been made to use a-3i as a photoconductive material for electrophotographic photoreceptors, and photoreceptors using a-St are recycled because they are non-polluting materials. No processing required;
Compared to other materials, it has advantages such as high spectral sensitivity in the visible light region, high surface hardness, and excellent abrasion resistance and impact resistance.

This a-5L is being studied as a photoreceptor based on the Carlson method, but in this case, the photoreceptor characteristics are required to be high resistance and photosensitivity. Since it is difficult to satisfy the requirements with a photoreceptor, a layered structure is created in which a barrier layer is provided between the photoconductive layer and the conductive support, and a surface charge retention layer is provided on the leading conductive layer. It satisfies these demands.

By the way, a-SL is usually formed by a glow discharge decomposition method using a silane gas, but at this time, a-SL is
Hydrogen is incorporated into the 8i film, and the electrical and optical characteristics vary greatly due to the difference in hydrogen m. That is, as the amount of hydrogen that enters the a-8i film increases, the optical bandgap increases and the resistance of a-St increases, but as a result, the photosensitivity to long wavelength light decreases. For example, it is difficult to use it in a laser beam printer equipped with a semiconductor laser. In addition, if the hydrogen content in the a-3t film is high, depending on the film formation conditions, (S
I H2) n and SiH2 bond structures may occupy most of the area in the film. In this case, voids increase and silicon dangling bonds increase, resulting in deterioration of photoconductive properties and rendering the material unusable as an electrophotographic photoreceptor. Conversely, as the amount of hydrogen entering a-5t decreases, the optical bandgap decreases,
Its resistance decreases, but its photosensitivity to long wavelength light increases. However, when the hydrogen content is low, there is less hydrogen to combine with and reduce silicon dangling bonds. For this reason, the mobility of the generated carriers is reduced, the life span is shortened, and the photoconductive properties are deteriorated, making it difficult to use as an electrophotographic photoreceptor.

In addition, as a technique to increase the sensitivity to long wavelength light, there is a method of mixing silane-based gas and germane G e H4 and decomposing it by glow discharge to produce a film with a narrow optical bandgap. system gas and G
Since the optimum substrate temperature is different between eH4 and H4, the produced film has many structural defects and cannot obtain good photoconductive properties. Moreover, since the waste gas of G e H4 becomes a poisonous gas when oxidized, the waste gas treatment is also complicated. Therefore,
Such technology is impractical.

[Objective of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has excellent charging ability, low residual potential, high sensitivity over a wide wavelength range, and good adhesion to a substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductive member with excellent environmental resistance.

[Summary of the Invention] A photoconductive member according to the present invention includes a conductive support, a barrier layer formed on the conductive support, a photoconductive layer formed on the barrier layer, In the photoconductive member, at least a portion of the barrier layer and the photoconductive layer are formed of microcrystalline silicon containing an element belonging to Group I or V of the periodic table, and the photoconductive layer Appropriate areas on the surface side of the barrier layer and on the conductive support side are doweled with at least one element selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the concentration of this element is such that the concentration of this element is between the surface and/or the barrier layer and the conductive support. It is characterized by a change inward from the boundary.

This invention was achieved through various experimental studies by the inventors of the present invention in order to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art described above and to develop a photoconductive member that has both excellent photoconductive properties (electrophotographic properties) and environmental resistance. As a result, microcrystalline silicon (hereinafter referred to as μC)
The present invention was completed based on the idea that this object could be achieved by using a photoconductive material (abbreviated as -3i) for at least a portion of a photoconductive member.

[Embodiments of the Invention] The present invention will be described in detail below. The feature of this invention is that μC-3i is used instead of the conventional a-3i. That is, whether all or some regions of the photoconductive layer are formed of microcrystalline silicon (μC-3L) or a mixture of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon (a-Si); Alternatively, it is formed of a laminate of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon. In addition, in a functionally separated photoconductive member, μC is added to the charge generation layer.
-3i is used.

μC-3i is a-
5i and polycrystalline silicon (polycrystalline silicon)
clearly distinguished from That is, in all X-ray diffraction measurements, since a-Si is amorphous, only a halo appears and no diffraction pattern can be observed, but μC-5
t indicates a crystal diffraction pattern in which 2θ is around 27 to 28.5°. Furthermore, while polycrystalline silicon has a dark resistance of 106 Ω cm, μC-3t has a dark resistance of 10 Ω cm.
It has a dark resistance of 11 Ω·cm or more. This μC-5t
is formed by aggregation of microcrystals with a grain size of approximately several tens of angstroms or more.

A mixture of μC-3i and a-3i is a mixture of μC-3i and a-Si in which crystalline regions of μC-3i are mixed in a-Si, and μC-3i and a
-5i exists in a similar volume ratio. Also,
The laminate of μC-3i and a-8i is mostly a-5
A layer consisting of i and a layer filled with μC-3i are laminated.

A photoconductive layer having μC-5t like this can be produced by depositing μC-5i on a conductive support using silane gas as a raw material using a high-frequency glow discharge decomposition method, similar to a-3i. can. In this case, if the temperature of the support is set higher than when forming a-3t, and the high frequency power is also set higher than when forming a-31, μ
It becomes easier to form C-8i. Furthermore, by increasing the support temperature and high frequency power, the flow rate of source gas such as silane gas can be increased, and as a result, the film formation rate can be increased. Further, by using a gas obtained by diluting the raw material gas SiH and a high-order silane gas such as Si2H6 with hydrogen, μC-3i can be formed with higher efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus for manufacturing a photoconductive member according to the present invention. For example, gas cylinders 1, 2, and 3°4 contain SiH, BH, and H2, respectively.

It contains raw material gas such as CH4. The gases in these gas cylinders 1, 2, 3.4 are supplied to a mixer 8 via a flow valve 6 and piping 7. A pressure gauge 5 is installed in each cylinder, and by adjusting the valve 6 while monitoring the pressure gauge 5, the flow rate and mixing ratio of each raw material gas supplied to the mixer 8 can be adjusted. Can be done. The gases mixed in the mixer 8 are supplied to a reaction vessel 9. A rotating shaft 10 is attached to the bottom 11 of the reaction vessel 9 so as to be rotatable around the vertical direction, and a disk-shaped support 12 is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 10 so that the rotating shaft 10 is perpendicular to the rotating shaft 10. It has been fixed. Inside the reaction vessel 9, a cylindrical electrode 13 is installed on the bottom 11 with its axial center aligned with the axial center of the rotating shaft 10. The drum base 14 of the photoreceptor is the support base 12
The drum base 14 is placed on the drum base with its axial center aligned with the axial center of the rotating shaft 10, and a heater 15 for heating the drum base is disposed inside the drum base 14. A high frequency 7Ji source 16 is connected between the electrode 13 and the drum base 14, so that a high frequency current is supplied between the electrode 13 and the drum base 14. The rotating shaft 10 is the motor 1
Rotationally driven by 8. The pressure inside the reaction vessel 9 is monitored by a pressure gauge 17, and the reaction vessel 9 is connected to a gate valve 1.
8 to an appropriate evacuation means such as a vacuum pump.

When manufacturing a photoreceptor using an apparatus configured as described above, after installing the drum base 14 in the reaction vessel 9, the gate valve 19 is opened to increase the inside of the reaction vessel 9 to approximately 0.1 Torr. Evacuate to a pressure below r). Next, the required reaction gases from the cylinders 1, 2, 3, and 4 are mixed at a predetermined mixing ratio and introduced into the reaction vessel 9. In this case, the gas flow rate introduced into the reaction vessel 9 is such that the pressure inside the reaction vessel 9 is 0.
．． Set it so that it is 1 to 1 Torr. Next, the motor 18 is operated to rotate the drum base 14, the heater 15 heats the drum base 14 to a constant temperature, and the high frequency power supply 16 supplies high frequency current between the electrode 13 and the drum base 14. A glow discharge is formed between the two. As a result, microcrystalline silicon (μC-3t) is deposited on the drum base 14. Note that by using N0NHNHNoNCH2, 3,3,2,2,4°CH,0 gas, etc. in the raw material gas, these elements can be contained in μC-3i.

In this way, the photoconductive member according to the present invention is similar to the conventional a-
Similar to those using 8i, it can be manufactured using closed system manufacturing equipment, so it is safe for the human body. Further, since this photoconductive member has excellent heat resistance, moisture resistance, and abrasion resistance, it has the advantage of having a long service life with little deterioration even after repeated use over a long period of time. Furthermore, since a long wavelength sensitizing gas such as G e H4 is not required, there is no need to provide waste gas treatment equipment, and industrial productivity is extremely high.

It is preferable that μC-5t contains 0.1 to 30 atom % of hydrogen. As a result, the dark resistance and bright resistance become harmonious, and the photoconductive properties are improved. μC-
For example, when doping hydrogen into the 5i layer by a glow discharge decomposition method, a silane-based raw material gas such as SiH4 and Si2H6 and a carrier gas such as hydrogen are introduced into a reaction vessel and a glow discharge is performed. Alternatively, a mixed gas of a silicon halide such as SiF4 and 5iC14' and hydrogen gas may be used, or a mixed gas of a silane gas and a silicon halide may be used. Furthermore, the μC-3i layer can be formed not only by the glow discharge decomposition method but also by a physical method such as sputtering. In view of photoconductive properties, the photoconductive layer containing μC-5t preferably has a thickness of 1 to 80 μm, and more preferably 5 to 50 μm.

Substantially all regions of the photoconductive layer may be formed of μC-5i, or may be formed of a mixture or a laminate of a-3i and μC-8i. The charging ability is higher in the laminate, and the photosensitivity is higher in the long wavelength region of the infrared region, although it depends on the volume ratio, in the mixture, and in the visible light region, the two are almost the same.

Therefore, depending on the use of the photoreceptor, substantially all the regions may be made of μC-8i, or may be made of a mixture or a laminate.

It is preferable to dope μC-3i with at least one element selected from nitrogen N, carbon C, and oxygen 0. Thereby, the dark resistance of μC-3i can be increased and the photoconductive properties can be improved.

These elements precipitate at the grain boundaries of μC-3i and act as terminators for silicon dangling bonds,
It is thought that the density of states existing in the band-to-band region is reduced, thereby increasing the dark resistance.

In this invention, a barrier layer is provided between the conductive support and the photoconductive layer. This barrier layer comprises a conductive support and
By suppressing the flow of charge between the photoconductive layer and the photoconductive layer, the ability to retain the electric charge d:t on the surface of the photoconductive member is enhanced;
Increases the charging ability of photoconductive members. In the Carlson method, when positively charging the surface of the photoreceptor, in order to prevent electrons from being injected from the support side to the photoconductive layer,
Make the barrier layer p-type. On the other hand, when the surface of the photoreceptor is negatively charged, the barrier layer is made n-type in order to prevent holes from being injected from the support side to the photoconductive layer. It is also possible to form an insulating film on the support as a barrier layer. The barrier layer may be formed using μC-8i, or it may be formed using a-3i.

In order to make μC-3i and a-3i p-type, it is preferable to dope them with elements belonging to Group Ⅰ of the periodic table, such as boron B1 aluminum AI, gallium Ga, indium In, and thallium TI. , μC-3i
In order to make the layer n-type, an element belonging to Group V of the periodic table, such as nitrogen N1 phosphorus P, arsenic As, antimony S
It is preferable to dope with b1, bismuth Bf, etc.

This n-type impurity or doping with n-type impurities prevents charges from moving from the support side to the photoconductive layer.

Preferably, a surface layer is provided on top of the photoconductive layer.

Since μC-5i of the photoconductive layer has a relatively large refractive index of 3 to 4, light reflection easily occurs on the surface. When such light reflection occurs, the proportion of the amount of light absorbed by the photoconductive layer decreases, increasing optical loss. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a surface layer to prevent reflection. Also, by providing a surface layer, the photoconductive layer is protected from damage. Furthermore, by forming a surface layer, charging ability is improved,
The surface becomes more charged. Materials for forming the surface layer include SiN, SiO, and SiC.

A I OSa S i N ; HSa S
There are inorganic compounds such as iO;H% and a-3iC;H, and organic materials such as polyvinyl chloride and polyamide.

As described above, as a photoconductive member applied to an electrophotographic photoreceptor, a barrier layer is formed on a support, and this barrier layer -
It is not limited to the case where a photoconductive layer is formed on the support 1 and a surface layer is formed on the photoconductive layer.
It is also possible to form a functionally separated structure in which a charge generation layer (CGL) is formed on a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer (CGL) is formed on the charge transport layer. In this case, a barrier layer may be provided between the charge transport layer and the support. The charge generation layer generates carriers upon irradiation with light. This charge generation layer is preferably made of microcrystalline silicon μC-5i in part or in its entirety, and has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 μm.

The charge transport layer is a layer that allows charges generated in the charge generation layer to reach the support side with high efficiency, and therefore needs to have a long charge life, high mobility, and high transportability. The charge transport layer may be formed of a-Si or μC-3i
It may be formed by In order to increase dark resistance and improve chargeability, it is preferable to light-dope with an element belonging to either Group Ⅰ or Group V of the periodic table. In addition, in order to further improve the charging ability and have the functions of both a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer, among the elements C, N, and O,
Any one of -L may be included.

If the charge transport layer is too thin or too thick, it will not perform its function satisfactorily. Therefore, the thickness of the charge transport layer is preferably 3 to 80 μm. By providing a barrier layer, even in a functionally separated photoconductive member having a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer, its charge retention function can be enhanced and charging ability can be improved. Note that whether the barrier layer is p-type or n-type is determined depending on its charging characteristics. This barrier layer is a −5
It may be formed of i or μC-5i.

The feature of the invention according to this application is that the photoconductive layer and the barrier layer are
At least a part of the layer is formed of μC-8i, and the layer contains an element belonging to Group 1 or Group V of the periodic table. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of photoconductive members embodying the present invention. In FIG. 2, a barrier layer 22 is formed on a conductive support 21, and a barrier layer 22 is formed on a conductive support 21. A photoconductive layer 23 is formed thereon. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, a surface layer 2 is further provided on the photoconductive layer 23.
4 is formed. The photoconductive layer 23 and the barrier layer 22 are
At least a part thereof is made of μC-5i and contains an element belonging to Group Ⅰ or Group V of the periodic table.

By forming the photoconductive layer mainly of μC-3i, it is possible to increase the sensitivity of the photoconductive member from the visible light region to the near-infrared region (for example, around 790 nm, which is the emission wavelength of a semiconductor laser). This allows the photoconductive member to be used in both PPC (plain paper copiers) and laser printers. μC-3i itself is
Although it is slightly n-type, the photoconductive layer mainly made of μC-5t is lightly doped (10-7 to 10-3 atomic %) with an element belonging to Group Ⅰ of the periodic table. 23 becomes an i-type (intrinsic) semiconductor, has a high dark resistance, and improves the S/N ratio and charging ability. Further, the photoconductive layer preferably has a thickness of 3 to 80 μm, more preferably 10 to 40 μm.

Further, the μC-3i constituting the barrier layer is also doped with an element belonging to Group Ⅰ or Group V of the periodic table.

The content is preferably 10 −3 to 10 atoms and 96 atoms. By forming the barrier layer with μC-5i in this manner, the resistance becomes low and the blocking ability is further improved. The crystallinity of the photoconductive layer 23 and the barrier layer 22 is preferably 10 to 30% by volume. This results in well-balanced and desirable electrophotographic characteristics. As shown in FIG. 3, in a photoconductive member in which a surface layer 24 is formed on a photoconductive layer 23, this surface layer 24 is
, 0, and N containing at least one element.

This protects the surface of the photoconductive layer, improves environmental resistance and improves charging ability. This C20, N
The content of is preferably 10 to 50 atomic %. Furthermore, the film thickness of the surface layer 24 and the barrier layer 22 is 0.01
It is preferably from 10 μm to 10 μm, more preferably,
It is 0.1 to 2 μm.

In this invention, appropriate regions on the surface side of the photoconductive layer 23 and the barrier layer 22 and on the conductive support 21 side contain at least one element selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the concentration of this element is at the surface side. and/or characterized by changing inward from the boundary between the barrier layer and the conductive support. FIGS. 4(a) to 4(h) show the concentration distribution of the total amount of C, O, and N in the μC-3i layer 25 consisting of the photoconductive layer 23 and the barrier layer 22. FIG. In the pattern shown in FIG. 4(a), the C, 0, and N elements gradually decrease from the boundary between the barrier layer 22 and the support 21 toward the inside (surface side) in the μC-3i layer 25. , decreases from the surface (the boundary between the surface layer 24 and the photoconductive layer 23 if the surface layer 24 is formed) toward the inside (towards the support 21).

Furthermore, in order to enhance the charge retention function, the photoconductive layer 23 contains at least one element among C, O, and N to an extent that the photoconductivity does not decrease. In other patterns shown in FIG. 4Cb) to (h), the concentrations of these elements change similarly. In addition, Fig. 4 (f) to (h)
As shown in , a layer containing C, O, and N may be formed on either the surface side or the support side of the μC-5i layer 25.

In this way, the μC-3i layer 25 contains C10 or N.
By doing so, the passage of carriers during light irradiation is not blocked, the flow of carriers is improved, and carriers move with high efficiency. In the barrier layer 22, by containing an element of group Ⅰ or group V of the Shuming Table, and further containing C, O, and N, electrons or holes can be injected from the support 21 side with high efficiency. is prevented, and the charge retention function is improved. Also,
When the surface layer 24 is doped with C, O, and N, there is a difference in the concentration of C, O, and N between the photoconductive layer 23 and the surface layer 24; By gradually decreasing the concentration of C10 or N from the boundary toward the support 21, rapid changes in the concentration of these elements are prevented and the concentration changes gradually, so that the carrier flow at the boundary is smoothed. can do. In addition, in the barrier layer 22, the concentration of these elements decreases in the direction from the support 21 to the photoconductive layer 23, so the photoconductive layer does not contain C, O, and N or is lightly doped with these elements. 2
The difference in density between 3 and 3 becomes smaller.

Also at the boundary between the photoconductive layer 23 and the barrier layer 22, the concentration changes of these elements become gentle, and carriers move smoothly. Due to these effects, the residual potential of the photoreceptor can be kept low during repeated use, and good electrophotographic properties can be obtained. Furthermore, during film formation, it is possible to prevent peeling of the film due to stress concentration between foreign substances, and also to prevent cracking due to distortion of internal stress of the film.

The content of these elements in km is preferably 20 atomic % or less.

Next, embodiments of the invention will be described.

Example 1 After cleaning and drying an Al drum serving as a conductive substrate, the inside of the reaction vessel was heated to 350° C. while being evacuated using a diffusion pump. After about 1 hour, the degree of vacuum inside the reaction vessel reached 3X10-
5 torr and the drum temperature stabilized. Then 3.0
05 CCM flow rate S L H4 gas, this S t
BH gas with a flow rate ratio of 5X10-' to H4 gas flow rate, CH4 gas of 603 CCIv1, and 2005CC
M of argon gas was mixed and supplied to the reaction vessel. 13
．． ．． A high frequency power of 150 watts at 56 MHz was applied to cause glow discharge, and a film was formed for 2 minutes. After that, the flow rate of CH4 gas was reduced to 303 CCM and the film was formed for 30 seconds.
A barrier layer 21 was formed. The pressure inside the reaction vessel at this time was about 0.8 Torr, and the obtained film thickness was 1.2 μm. Next, all gases were stopped and a gas purge was performed for 15 minutes. After that, increase the flow rate of S I H4 to 6008CC.
M, hydrogen gas flow rate 500 SCCM, S of B2H6
The film was formed by setting the flow rate ratio to iH4 to be gxio-8. The reaction pressure was 1.5 torr and the high frequency power was 350 watts, making it possible to obtain a 35 μm photoconductive layer. Then turn off all gas and
After purging for 15 minutes, Si of 10 Q SCCM
A film was formed by flowing H4 gas and 400 SCCM of CH4 gas under the conditions of a reaction pressure of 0.7 Torr and a high frequency power of 200 Watts. The thickness of the surface layer obtained was 1.5 μm. For the photoreceptor film formed in this way, 790 nm
When an image was formed using a laser printer equipped with a semiconductor laser having an oscillation wavelength of , an extremely good image could be obtained, and a sufficiently high photosensitivity of 10 er g/cd was obtained.

Example 2 H A film was formed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except for using N2 gas instead of the 4 gas used in Example 1 except for the surrounding area. In Example 2 as well, when the electrophotographic photoreceptor on which the film was formed was mounted on a laser printer and an image was formed, a good image with high resolution was obtained. Further, the half sensitivity at 790 nm was as good as 9 erg/cd.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, a photoconductive material which has high resistance, excellent charging characteristics, high photosensitivity in the visible light and near-infrared light regions, is easy to manufacture, and has high practicality. It is possible to obtain a sex member.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus for manufacturing a photoconductive member according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing a photoconductive member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. (h) is C, O
, H is a diagram showing the concentration distribution of ,H. 1.2, 3.4; cylinder, 5; pressure gauge, 6; valve, 7
; Piping, 8; Mixer, 9; Reaction container, 10; Rotating shaft, 1
3; Electrode, 14; Drum base, 15; Heater, 16; High frequency power supply, 19; Gate valve, 21; Support, 22;
Barrier layer, 23; Photoconductive layer, 24; Surface layer, 25; μC-
8i layer. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A photoconductive member comprising a conductive support, a barrier layer formed on the conductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed on the barrier layer, wherein the barrier layer and The photoconductive layer is formed at least in part of microcrystalline silicon containing an element belonging to Group III or V of the periodic table, and the photoconductive layer and the barrier layer have a surface side and/or a conductive support. An appropriate region on the body side contains at least one element selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the concentration of this element changes inward from the surface and/or the boundary between the barrier layer and the conductive support. A photoconductive member characterized by: (2) A surface layer made of amorphous silicon containing at least one element selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen is formed on the photoconductive layer. The photoconductive member described in . (3) The photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the photoconductive layer contains hydrogen. (4) The photoconductive layer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the photoconductive layer includes a region of microcrystalline silicon and a region of amorphous silicon. Conductive member. (5) The photoconductive layer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the photoconductive layer is a laminated layer of a microcrystalline silicon layer and an amorphous silicon layer. Element.