JPS6163851A - Electrophotographic sensitive body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a sharp image with substantial sensitivity by providing a photoconductive layer having ruggedness on the surface onto a conductive substrate so that the attenuation of the incident light owing to the interference of the reflected light reversed in phase as a result of irregular reflection of incident light and the incident light, i.e., the apparent decrease in the photosensitivity is suppressed. CONSTITUTION:A photosensitive body 10 formed with the photoconductive layer 12 having ruggedness on the surface 13 onto the conductive substrate 11 is used. The photosensitive body 20 provided with the laminated photosensitive layer 22 consisting of a carrier generating layer 22-1 and carrier transfer layer 22-2 on the conductive substrate 21 and formed with the ruggedness on the surface 23 of the layer 22-2 is otherwise used. The photosensitive body provided with the multi-layered photosensitive layers by forming an intermediate layer between the carrier transfer layer and generating layer or by other methods is equally well. The formation of the ruggedness on the surface is executed simply by subjecting the surface to plasma etching after the layer formation. The generation of the interference fringes by the light reflected from the surface and the light reflected from the substrate surface are thus eliminated for the long wavelength light such as laser light and the sharp copy is obtd. with the high sensitivity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photoreceptor, particularly to an electrophotographic photoreceptor for a laser gritter.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in demand for high-end copying machines used in computer terminals called laser beam printers, intelligent copiers, etc., and He-N is being used as the light source.
Kass lasers such as e and Ar have been used, but recently,
Miniaturization of equipment.

Semiconductor lasers have come to be used because of their low cost and ease of modulation.

However, the shortest oscillation wavelength of a semiconductor laser is currently around 800 μm at a practical level. Efforts are being made to increase the long-wavelength sensitivity of photoreceptors, but it has not been possible to obtain a photoresist with sufficient photosensitivity, good repeatability, and long life. In particular, photoreceptors with silicon-based amorphous layers as photoconductive layers are insufficient for practical use because, despite their long lifespan and good repeatability, their long-wavelength sensitivity is slightly lacking. It is.

Furthermore, since laser light is a coherent source, when it is incident on a solid object from the atmosphere and reflected, its phase is reversed, interfering with the incident light, and acting to attenuate it.

The smaller the angle of incidence is, the greater the attenuation of the incident light due to interference between the phase-inverted reflected light and the incident light, and the better the smoothness of the reflective surface, the greater the attenuation of the incident light. The apparent photosensitivity decreases due to such attenuation of incident light. Naturally, the higher the reflectance, the greater the decrease in apparent photosensitivity. Also, if the incident light is not coherent light, it will reflect on one surface (although there will be an apparent decrease in photosensitivity, in the case of coherent light).

This results in a reduction rate nearly double that of non-coherent light. Therefore, as mentioned above, 8e-Te system, 5e-
1O at the long wavelength limit of As-based, a-8i, etc. semiconductor lasers
In materials with substantially low photosensitivity that have a light absorption coefficient of the order of cIIL, the apparent reduction in photosensitivity, which is attenuation of the incident light due to interference between the phase-inverted reflected light and the incident light, is fatal.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic photoreceptor that suppresses a decrease in apparent photosensitivity and has sufficient photosensitivity to long wavelength light.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention consists of a conductive support and a photoconductive layer having an uneven surface, and by diffusely reflecting incident light, the incident light is generated by interference between the reflected light whose phase is reversed and the incident light. This is an electrophotographic photoreceptor that suppresses the decrease in apparent photosensitivity called attenuation.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The present invention will be explained below with reference to one embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 IIi is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a basic configuration example of the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention.

The layer wt structure of the electrophotographic photoreceptor IO is formed by laminating a photoconductive layer 12 on a conductive support 11.

The conductive support 11 is made of aluminum, for example.

Metals such as stainless steel, glass, and #J molecular films coated with a conductive or semiconductive substance can be used, and are used in the form of a flat plate or a cylinder.

The surface 13 of the photoconductive layer 120 is provided with irregularities so as to diffusely reflect incident light. Also, the photoconductive layer 12//i
A single layer or two or more layers is also possible. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an electrophotographic photoreceptor in which 4% J of light is 2l-counterfeit. The # structure of the electrophotographic photoreceptor 20 is formed by laminating a leading IIE layer 22 on a conductive support 21, and the photoconductive layer 22 has two layers: 822-1 on the support side and !22-2 on the front side. The surface 23 has an uneven structure.The layer 22-1 on the support side has a structure in which photocarriers are generated, and the layer 22-1 on the support side is
When the IH22-2 on the surface side has the function of transport and has the function of protecting the front surface, the layer 22-1 on the support side has the function of transporting optical carriers, and the layer 22-2 on the surface side When the layer 22-1 on the east side of the support has the function of generating photocarriers, and vice versa, the layer 22-1 on the east support side has the function of a barrier for carriers injected from the conductive support 21, and the layer 22-1 on the surface side has the function of generating photocarriers. There are cases where 2 has the function of generating a light beam and sending ##4.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a photoreceptor having a three-layered photoconductive layer. The layer structure of the electrophotographic photoreceptor 30 includes a conductive support 31 and a light guide t'1. ．． / Mosquitoes 32 are layered, the main layer is layer 32Fi, and the layer 32-1 is on the support side.
, intermediate layer 32-3. It has a three-layer structure with a layer 32-2 on the surface side, and the surface 33 is provided with irregularities. The layers 32-1 on the support side have the function of a barrier for the conductive support 31 to which the conductive support 31 is also injected, and the intermediate layer 32-3
In some cases, +=32-a on the first surface side has the function of surface protection and prevention of charge injection, but it is also possible for the functions of Tanitake to overlap.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrophotographic photoreceptor in which the leading grain layer has a four-layer structure. The 400-layer structure of the electrophotographic photoreceptor is as follows:
A photoconductive layer 42 is layered on a conductive support 41, and the photoconductive layer 42 is formed by layer 42-1 on the support side. Second intermediate layer 42-
4, intermediate layer 42-3. It has a four-layer structure with a layer 42-2 on the surface side, and the surface 43 is provided with irregularities. The functions of each layer are the same as those of the three-story structure shown in FIG. 3 except for the second intermediate layer 42-4.
In some cases, it has a carrier generation function with even greater light absorption than j, and in some cases, it has a function to increase the barrier effect of ItQ42-1 on the support side. In this case, the second intermediate layer 42-4
The functions of the and intermediate/ff142-3 may be reversed, and the functions of each layer may overlap.0 Furthermore, it is also possible that the photoconductive layer consists of five or more layers.

By the way, as a method of providing unevenness on one surface, /l! There are r types of dry or wet etching and mechanical processing methods. Examples of dry etching include reactive ion etching using plasma, sputter etching, etc., and examples of wet etching.

Mechanical treatment methods include methods using acids, alkalis, dissolution by energization, anodization, etc., and methods using sandblasting, buffing, and other abrasives.

Next, specific judgments and examples of the electrophotographic photoreceptor having the structure as described above will be explained.

Example 1 9Se and BeTe alloy (Te48
An electrophotographic photoreceptor having #45 μm and #3 μm of #45 μm and #3 μm of #1 and 3 μm, respectively, was used as the l-A sample. Next, after the Kl-A sample was deposited, it was removed from the vacuum chamber and placed in a plasma reactor.
A sample 1-B was subjected to a post-treatment of exposure to Leon 7 Lasma KIO for seconds. When both samples were subjected to a cycorona band 1: with an applied voltage of 6.5 KV, charged to a surface potential of 5 oov, and turned off using a semiconductor laser with a single oscillation wavelength of 790 μm as a light source, the half-reduced exposure sensitivity was that of the 1-A sample. 2.2μJ/α2. 1.3μJ/lx for l-B sample
”, and it was found that photosensitivity was improved by forming irregularities on the surface using Freon plasma treatment.Furthermore, when toner development was performed using a similar semiconductor laser, a good image was obtained with no bleeding or interference fringes. By forming the surface pressure unevenness in this way, the interference between the diffusely reflected light on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the reflected light on the conductive support is weakened, and interference fringes are eliminated.

Example 2 An aluminum flat plate (1
00mX 100mm) and 1O-5Torr
Reduce the pressure to a degree of vacuum and heat it with an aluminum plate at 230°C
Heating Lio Temperature increase k 8 iH470SCCM.

Ar pace B2H61'16 gas x 3 Keep the pressure at 0.5 Torr while flowing the SCCM raw material 13.5
A high frequency power of 6M)Iz and 120W was applied to generate 7 lasma discharge and film formation was performed for 3 minutes. Next 8iH4
A high frequency wave of 200 W was applied at a pressure of 1408 CCM, Q, gTorr, and the film was formed for 2 hours.
H470SCCM, 021108CC.

Q: A high frequency power of 1 oow was applied at a pressure of 5 Torr, and film formation was performed for 2 minutes. After the sample was cooled to room temperature, the vacuum was broken and the sample was taken out, which was designated as sample 2-A. Next, after film formation was performed under the same conditions as sample 2-A, C
F41008CCM.

0275 Turn on the SCCM, keep the pressure at Q and gTorr, turn on the isow's counter-power, apply 7° lasma heating for 5 minutes, remove the sample, break the vacuum, take out the sample, and remove it. −B sample. Both samples were corona charged with an applied voltage of 6.5 KV, and
When charged to a surface potential of 00 V and exposed using a semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 790 μm as a light source, the half-reduction exposure sensitivity was 1.2 tiJ/lx for the 2-input sample and 0.7/JJ/cIIL2 for the 2-B sample. It has been found that photosensitivity can be improved by forming irregularities on the surface through post-treatment using plasma etching.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in apparent photosensitivity and obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor having sufficient photosensitivity to long wavelength light.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 are schematic structural diagrams showing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a conductive support and a photoconductive layer having an uneven surface. (2) The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the photoconductive layer is composed of an amorphous layer mainly composed of silicon.