JPS61295576A - 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 to 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 the photoconductive layer formed on the barrier layer 22. The barrier layer 22 is formed of the microcrystalline silicon contg. hydrogen, the element belonging to the group III or V of periodic table and at least one kind of element selected from carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. The photoconductive layer has the 1st layer 23 consisting of the microcrystalline silicon contg. hydrogen and the 2nd layer 24 consisting of amorphous silicon contg. hydrogen and nitrogen. The 1st layer 23 and the 2nd layer 24 are laminated in the layer thickness direction of the photoconductive layer. The photoconductive member which has the high resistance, the excellent electrostatic charge characteristic and the high photosensitivity characteristic in visible light and near IR regions, 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 leading conductive member with 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, ZnO, Se, 5e-Te, or amorphous silicon, or poly-N-vinylcarbazole have been used. (PVCz) or trinitrofluorene (T
Organic materials such as NF) are used. However, these conventional photoconductive materials have various problems in terms of photoconductive properties and manufacturing, and it is necessary to use these materials depending on the purpose of use, sacrificing the characteristics of the photoreceptor system to some extent. There is.

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 is a problem in that the production cost is high because the production equipment is required for one summer, and in particular, the recovery cost is added because Se needs to be recovered. In addition, in the Se or 5e-Te system, the crystallization temperature is 65
Since the temperature is as low as .degree. C., problems with photoconductive properties may occur due to residual frost 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, so there is one problem in that it is unreliable in use.

Furthermore, photoconductive materials such as PVC and TNF are suspected to be carcinogens and pose human health concerns, and photoconductive materials have poor thermal stability and abrasion resistance. It has the disadvantage of low energy consumption and short lifespan.

On the other hand, amorphous silicon (hereinafter abbreviated as aSl) has recently attracted attention as a photoconductive conversion feed, and is being actively applied to solar cells, thin film transistors, and image sensors. As part of this application of a-Si, attempts have been made to use a-5i as a photoconductive material for electrophotographic photoreceptors. It has advantages such as no need for recovery treatment, high spectral sensitivity in the visible light range compared to other materials, high surface hardness, and excellent abrasion resistance and impact resistance.

This a-3i is being studied as a photoreceptor based on the Carlson method, but in this case, the photoreceptor characteristics are required to be crystalline in both resistance and photosensitivity. Since it is difficult to satisfy the requirements with a single-layer photoreceptor, a layered structure is used 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 photoconductive layer. This satisfies these requirements.

By the way, a-5i is usually formed by a glow discharge decomposition method using silane gas, but at this time, a-5i is
Hydrogen is incorporated into the 3i film, and the electrical and optical properties vary greatly due to the difference in hydrogen content. That is, as the amount of hydrogen that enters the a-5i film increases, the optical bandgap becomes narrower (the resistance of the a-3i increases, but the photosensitivity to long wavelength light decreases). Therefore, for example, it is difficult to use it in a laser beam printer equipped with a semiconductor laser.Also, if the a-Si film has a high hydrogen content, depending on the film formation conditions, (S
Those having bonding structures such as IH2)n and S I H2 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 penetrating into a-8l decreases, the optical bandgap decreases and its resistance decreases, but the 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. As a result, the mobility of generated carriers decreases, the life span becomes short, and the photoconductive properties deteriorate, making it difficult to use as an electrophotographic photoreceptor.

As a technique to increase the sensitivity to long wavelength light, there is a method of mixing silane-based gas and germane GeH4 and performing glow discharge decomposition to produce a film with a narrow optical bandgap. and G e
Since the optimum substrate temperature is different from H4, the produced film has many structural defects and cannot obtain good photoconductive properties. Furthermore, waste gas from GeH4 becomes toxic gas when oxidized, so waste gas treatment is also complicated. 1 Therefore, such technology is not practical.

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

[Summary of the Invention] A photoconductive member according to the present invention includes an electrically conductive support, a barrier layer formed on the electrically conductive support, a photoconductive layer formed on the barrier layer, In the photoconductive member, the barrier layer contains at least one element selected from hydrogen, an element belonging to Group 1 or Group V of the 11111 table, and carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. The photoconductive layer is formed of crystalline silicon, and the photoconductive layer includes a first layer of microcrystalline silicon, at least a portion of which contains hydrogen, and a second layer of amorphous silicon that contains hydrogen and nitrogen. H
However, the first layer and the second layer are laminated in the layer thickness direction of the photovoltaic layer.

This invention eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art described above and provides excellent photoconductive properties (electrophotographic properties) and environmental resistance. As a result of various experimental studies conducted by the inventors of the present application, we have developed a photoconductive part with a small number of photoconductive parts using microcrystalline silicon (hereinafter referred to as μC-5i). This invention was completed based on the idea that the first objective could be achieved by using the present invention.

[Embodiments of the Invention] The present invention will be specifically described below. The feature of this invention is that μC-3i is used instead of the conventional a-3i. In other words, all or part of the photoconductive layer is made of microcrystalline silicon (μC-5i).
, a mixture of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon (a-5i), or a laminate of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon. Also,
In the functional i4 type photoconductive member, μC-5i is used for the charge d:j generation layer.

μC-5i is a-
3i and polycrystalline silicon (polycrystalline silicon)
clearly distinguished from That is, in X-ray diffraction measurement, a-5i is amorphous, so only a halo appears;
Whether or not a diffraction pattern is observed, μC-5t shows a crystal diffraction pattern with a 2θ of around 27 to 28.5°. Furthermore, while polycrystalline silicon has a dark resistance of 106Ωcm, μC-5t has a dark resistance of 106Ωcm.
The dark resistance of Ω・cm or more is set to H. This μC-3i is formed by agglomeration of microcrystals having a particle size of approximately several tens of angstroms or more.

A binary complex of μC-8i and a-3i is one in which the crystalline region of μC-3t is mixed in a-3i, and μC-5i and a-5t exist in the same volume ratio. say. In addition, the laminate of μC-5t and a-3i is mostly a-
A layer consisting of 5i and a layer filled with μC-3i or 11
``[It refers to something that is layered.

Similar to a-3i, the photoconductive layer made of μC-3i is manufactured by depositing μC-3i on a conductive support using silane gas as the source t4) using a high-frequency glow discharge decomposition method. can do. In this case, if 41& of the support is set higher than in the case of forming a-3r, and the high frequency power is also set higher than in the case of a-3i, it becomes easier to form μC-3i. In addition, by increasing the support temperature and high frequency power, the flow of raw material gas such as silane gas can be increased, and as a result,
The film formation speed can be increased. In addition, the S of the raw material gas
By using a gas obtained by diluting high-order silane gas containing IH4 and Si2H6 with hydrogen, μC-3i can be formed with higher efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus for manufacturing a leading conductive member according to the present invention. Gas cylinders 1, 2, and 3°4 have, for example, S L H, B H, and H2, respectively.

4 2 G Contains raw material gas for CR2 cap. The gas in these gas cylinders 1, 2, 3.4 is controlled by a valve 6 for adjusting the flow rate.
and is supplied to a mixer 8 via a pipe 7. A pressure gauge 5 is installed in each cylinder, and by monitoring this pressure gauge 5 and adjusting a valve 6, the amount of tlL of each thread material gas supplied to the mixer 8 and 2
19 times can be reduced. 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 this rotating wheel 10 so that its surface is perpendicular to the rotating shaft 10. It has been fixed. Inside the reaction vessel 9, a cylindrical electrode 13 is installed at 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 1
2 with its axial center aligned with the axial center of the rotating shaft 10, and inside the drum base 14, a heater 15 for heating the drum base is disposed. A high frequency power 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 container 9, the gate valve 19 is opened to increase the temperature inside the reaction container 9 to about 0.1 Torr. ). Next, the required reaction gases from the cylinders 1, 2, 3.4 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 to 1 to 1 Torr. Next, motor 1
8 to rotate the drum base 14, and the heater 15
At the same time, the drum base 14 is heated to a constant temperature by the high-frequency power source 16 that generates high-frequency waves 713 . supplying current to form a glow discharge between the two. As a result, microcrystalline silicon (μC-3i) is deposited on the drum base 14''. In addition,
N O, NH, N'H, No, N2 in the raw material gas
．． By using CH4°CH, O gas, etc., these elements can be incorporated into μC-3i.

In this way, the photoconductive member according to the present invention is similar to the conventional a-
Similar to the one using 5i, it can be manufactured using the Clouston stem 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-8i contains hydrogen in an amount of 0 to 30 atomic percent. As a result, dark resistance and bright resistance, etc.
J7J becomes well-balanced, and the photoconductive properties are improved. Hydrogen doping into the μC-3i layer can be carried out, for example, by glow discharge decomposition, by introducing a hydrogen-based raw material gas such as iH3iH4 and 26 into a reaction vessel and a carrier gas such as hydrogen. Discharge or discharge, S i F 4 and S j, CI 4
A mixed gas of silicon halide and hydrogen gas may be used, or a mixed gas of a silane gas and silicon halide may be used. Historically, the μC-8i layer can be formed not only by the glow discharge decomposition method but also by a physical method such as sputtering. In addition,
The photoconductive layer containing μC-8t preferably has a film thickness of 1 to 80 μm, and further has a film thickness of 5 μm.
It is desirable to set the thickness 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 1, a-3i and μC-5i. The charging ability is higher in the laminate,
Although the photosensitivity depends on the volume ratio, the mixture is higher in the long wavelength region of the infrared region, and the two are almost the same in the visible light region.

Therefore, depending on the use of the photoreceptor, substantially all the regions may be made of μC-5i, or may be made of a mixture or a laminate.

Preferably, μC-5i is doped with at least one element selected from nitrogen, nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen. As a result, these elements, which can increase the dark resistance of μC-8i and enhance its photoconductive properties, precipitate at the grain boundaries of μC-5i, and also act as terminators for silicon dangling bonds, forming gaps between bands. It is thought that the density of states existing in the forbidden rice 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 charge (:1f) on the surface of the photoconductive member is enhanced, and the charging ability of the leading conductive member is enhanced. When the surface is charged with IE, the barrier layer is made p-type in order to prevent 71S molecules from being injected from the support side into the photoconductive layer.On the other hand, when the surface of the photoreceptor is negatively charged, In order to prevent holes from being injected from the support side to the photoconductive layer, the barrier layer is made of n-type.Also, it is also possible to form an insulating film on the support as a barrier layer. The barrier layer may be formed using μC-3i, or one cavity layer may be formed using a-3i.

In order to make μC-3i and a-5i p-type, it is preferable to dope them with elements belonging to Group Ⅰ of the periodic table, such as boron B1 aluminum Al, gallium Ga, indium In, and thallium T1. , μC-5i
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 b1 and bismuth Bi.

This doping with p-type impurities or 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 leading conductive layer.

Since μC-3i 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 the surface layer, the photoconductive layer is protected from damage. Furthermore, by forming a surface layer, charging ability is improved,
Electric charge becomes more likely to be deposited on the surface. The surface layer is formed by SiN, SiO, 5iC1AI
O, a-9iN; HSa-3iO; H.

and a-3iC;H, and organic materials such as polyvinyl chloride and polyamide.

Light guiding members applied to electrophotographic photoreceptors include:
As mentioned above, it is not limited to the case where a barrier layer is formed on a support, a photoconductive layer is formed on this barrier layer, and a surface layer is formed on this photoconductive layer. Transport layer (C
A charge generation layer (CGL) is formed on the charge transport layer.
) can also be constructed in a functionally separated form. 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. The 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 carriers generated in the charge generation layer to reach the support side with high efficiency, and therefore, the carriers must have a long life, high mobility, and high transportability. The charge transport layer may be formed of a-3t or μC-3i. In order to increase the dark resistance and improve the charging ability, it is preferable to dope with an element belonging to either Group 1 or Group V of the periodic table. In addition, in order to further improve the charging ability and to have the functions of both a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer, C,N
, 0 elements may be included. If the charge transport layer is too thin or too thick, it will not function satisfactorily. Therefore, the thickness of the charge transport layer is preferably 3 to 80 μm. By providing a barrier layer, even in an M-type photoconductive member that functions as a charge transport layer and a charge generation layer, its charge retention function and charging ability can be improved. In addition, whether to make the barrier layer p-type or n-type is determined by
It is determined according to its charging characteristics. This barrier layer is a-
3i or μC-5i.

The invention according to this application is characterized by having a first layer made of μC-3i, at least a part of which contains hydrogen, and a second layer made of a-3i, which contains hydrogen and nitrogen. 2, 3, and 4 are cross-sectional views of photoconductive members embodying the present invention, and in FIG. 2,
A photoconductive layer is formed on the conductive support 21, and this photoconductive layer includes a μ
It has a first layer 23 made of C-3t and a second layer 24 made of a-3t containing hydrogen and nitrogen formed on the first layer. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, the first layer 23
A barrier layer 22 is formed between the photoconductive layer having the second layer 24 and the support 21 . In Figure 4,
A surface layer 25 is formed on the photoconductive layer.

The first layer 23 of the photoconductive layer is mainly formed of μC-5i, but μC-3i itself is slightly n'12. For this reason, the first layer mainly composed of μC-3i is lightly doped (10
10-3 atomic %). As a result, the first layer 23 becomes a type 1 (intrinsic) semiconductor, has a high dark resistance, and improves the S/N ratio and charging ability. Also, the first layer 2
It is preferable that No. 3 contains at least one element among C, O, and N. Thereby, the charge retention function of the photoconductive member can be further enhanced.

The barrier layer 22 has the function of blocking injection of electrons or holes from the support 21 to the photoconductive layer in the dark, and allowing charges generated in the photoconductive layer to pass through to the support 21 with high efficiency during light irradiation. have This barrier layer 22 can be formed of μC-3i or a-3i, but since μC-5t has higher T charge mobility and good running properties, the barrier layer 22 can be formed of μC-3i or a-3i.
-3i is preferably formed. The barrier layer 22 is doped with an element belonging to group Ⅰ or group V of the periodic table, thereby making the barrier layer 22 a p-type or n-type semiconductor. The content is preferably 10-3 to 10 at%. Further, in the barrier layer 22, C, O
, N in an amount of 0.1 to 20 at. Furthermore, the thickness of the barrier layer 22 is 0.01 to 10 μm.
It is preferable that it is, more preferably 0.1 to 2μ
It is m.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a photoconductive member in which a surface layer 25 is formed on the second layer 24, this surface layer 25 or C
It is formed of a-3t containing at least one element among 1○ and N.

This protects the surface of the photoconductive layer, improves environmental resistance, and improves charging ability. The content of C10 and H is preferably 10 to 50 atomic %.

The present invention is characterized in that the first layer 23 mainly consists of μC-3i containing hydrogen, and the second layer consists of a-5i containing hydrogen and nitrogen. The photosensitivity to visible light is determined by the second layer "2" consisting of a-3i containing C.
4 is high, and the photosensitivity to near-infrared light is mainly μC-5.
The first layer 23 consisting of i is high. By stacking such a first layer and a second layer, the photoconductive layer (first layer 23 and second layer 24) has a high resistance, improves charging ability, and can absorb visible light to near-infrared light. (For example, around 790 nm, which is the oscillation wavelength of a semiconductor laser), the photosensitivity becomes extremely high in a wide range. This makes it possible to use this photoconductive member both in RPCs (= feed copiers) and in one-north printers. The lamination order of the first layer and the second layer is as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, with the first layer being formed on the conductive support 21 side, and the second layer being formed on the surface (or surface layer 25) side. The pattern is not limited to the pattern forming the layer 24, but may be a pattern in which the order of stacking is reversed. However, in terms of photosensitivity, as shown in Figures 2 to 4,
It is preferable that the second layer 24 made of 3i is on the surface side. This is because if the μC-5i layer is present on the surface side, visible light will also be absorbed by this μC-3i layer, which slightly reduces the advantage of providing the a-5i layer. The concentration of N in the second layer 24 and C, O, and N in the first layer 23 is preferably 0.1 to 20 at.%. The layer thickness ratio between the first layer and the second layer 24 may be selected as appropriate, but the thickness of the first layer 23 is 0.1 μm.
As mentioned above, it is preferable that the second layer 24 has a thickness of 2 μm or more.

The photoconductive layer obtained by laminating the first layer and the second layer is 3
The layer thickness is between 80 μm and preferably between 10 and 50 μm.

Next, embodiments of the invention will be described.

EXAMPLE After washing and drying an AI drum serving as a conductive substrate, the inside of the reaction vessel was heated to 350°C while being evacuated with a diffusion pump. After about 1 hour, the degree of vacuum inside the reaction vessel was reduced to 3×10
-5 torr was reached and the drum temperature stabilized. Then 30
SiH gas with a flow rate of 0SCCM, BH gas with a flow ratio of 5X10-' to this S h H4 gas flow rate, 60S
CCM of CH4 gas and 200 SCCM of argon gas were mixed and supplied to the reaction vessel. High frequency power of 200 watts at 13.56 MHz was applied to cause glow discharge for 2 minutes. Next, the flow rate of CH4 gas was reduced to 30'SCCM and film formation was performed for 30 seconds, and then the flow rate of CH4 gas was reduced to IO3CCM and film formation was performed for 30 seconds to form the barrier layer 21. The pressure inside the reaction vessel at this time was about 0.8 Torr, and the resulting layer thickness was 1.2 μm. Next, all gases were stopped and a gas purge was performed for 15 minutes.

After that, the flow rate of SiHi was set to 6003 CCM, the flow rate of hydrogen gas was set to 500 SCCM, the flow rate ratio of B2H to SiH4 was set to 8X10-8, the reaction pressure was 1.5 Torr, and the high frequency power was 350 Watts. A first layer 23 having μC-5i with a thickness of 25 μm was formed. Then, S i H4 gas was added to 600 SCCM, N
H3 gas was flowed at 150 SCCM and held for 5 minutes. After the gas flow rate became stable, the high frequency power was set to 350 watts, and a film was formed at a reaction pressure of 1.2 torr to form a second layer of a-5i with 3 parts of nitrogen to a thickness of 5 μm. Next, after stopping all gases and purging the inside of the container for 15 minutes, the flow rate of 8iH4 gas was increased to 11005CC, CH4.
The gas flow rate was set at 400 SCCM, a high frequency power of 200 Watts was applied, and a surface layer with a layer thickness of 1.5 μm was formed under 0.7 Torr.

When an image was formed on the photoreceptor with a film formed in this way using a laser printer equipped with a semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 7900 m, the resolution was high and /p! It was possible to form a clear image with no defects in terms of clarity and fog. Also, is the electrophotographic property photosensitivity 10erg/clI? It was extremely good. Furthermore, when repeated tests were conducted under an environment of 25°C and 55% humidity, the surface potential was 10
After 00 times, the voltage drops by 30V and the residual potential is 40 e r g
After 1000 times with an exposure amount of /ci, the voltage decreased by 2V. In this way, according to the present invention, a photoreceptor with excellent durability and less fluctuation in potential can be obtained.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, a light source that has high resistance, excellent charging characteristics, high photosensitivity characteristics in the visible light and near-infrared light regions, is easy to manufacture, and has high practicality. A conductive member can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a photoconductive member manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are sectional views showing photoconductive members according to embodiments of the present invention. P, 2. 3. 4: Cylinder, 5; Pressure gauge, 6;
Valve, 7; Piping, 8; Mixer, 9; Reaction container, 10;
Rotating shaft, 13; Electrode, 14; Drum base, 15: Heater, 16; High frequency power supply, 19; Gate valve, 21: Support, 22; Barrier layer, 23; First layer, 24: Second layer, 25
; surface layer. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue 1d Figure 1

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) In a photoconductive member having a conductive support, a barrier layer formed on the conductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed on the barrier layer, the barrier layer is , hydrogen, an element belonging to Group III or V of the periodic table, and at least one element selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the photoconductive layer It has a first layer made of microcrystalline silicon at least partially containing hydrogen, and a second layer made of amorphous silicon containing hydrogen and nitrogen, and the first layer and the second layer are photoconductive layers. A photoconductive member characterized by being laminated in the layer thickness direction. (2) The photoconductive member according to claim 1, wherein the photoconductive layer contains an element belonging to Group III or Group V of the periodic table. (3) The photoconductive member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first layer contains at least one element selected from carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. (4) The optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first layer includes a region of microcrystalline silicon and a region of amorphous silicon. Conductive member. (5) The optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first layer is a laminated layer of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon. Conductive member.