JPS6292965A - Electrophotographic sensitive body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the titled body having an excellent electrostatic chargeability, a low residual potential, a high sensitivity, a good sticking property for a substrate and an excellent antienvironment by laminating an electrostatic charge transfer layer comprising a fine crystalline of Si contg. at least one kind of elements selected among C, N and O, and an electrostatic charge generating layer contg. a-Si in a prescribed thickness of the layers in order on a conductive substrate. CONSTITUTION:The electrostatic charge transfer layer 23 which contains a microcrystalline (muC)Si contg. at least one kind of element selected among C, N and O and has 3-80mum a thickness is formed on the conductive substrate. The electrostatic charge generating layer which contains a-Si and has 1-10mum a thickness is formed on said electrostatic charge generating layer 23. The barrier layer 22 contg. muC-Si or a-Si (contg. C, O, N) is preferably inserted between the substrate 21 and the layer 23. The substrate layer 25 is preferably formed on the layer 24. And the muC-Si contains preferably 0.1-30atom% H. Thus, the titled body having the improved photoconductive characteristics is obtd.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photoreceptor having excellent charging characteristics, photosensitivity characteristics, environmental resistance, and the like.

[Prior art 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 (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 Se or 5e-7e system, the crystallization temperature is 65℃
Therefore, during repeated copying, problems arise in the photoconductive properties due to residual potential, and therefore, the service life is short and the practicality of the photoconductor is low.

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 carcinogens and present human health concerns, and organic materials have poor thermal stability and abrasion resistance. , has the disadvantage of short lifespan.

On the other hand, amorphous silicon (hereinafter abbreviated as a-3i)
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-8i as a photoconductive material for electrophotographic photoreceptors, and photoreceptors using a-3i 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 wear resistance and impact resistance.

This a-3i is being studied as a photoreceptor that can be applied to electrophotography based on the Carlson method, but in this case, the photoreceptor characteristics are required to be high in resistance and photosensitivity. Since it is difficult to satisfy both of these characteristics with a single-layer photoreceptor, a multilayer type 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 structure satisfies these requirements.

By the way, a-3i is usually formed by a glow discharge decomposition method using silane gas, but at this time, a-3i is
Hydrogen is incorporated into the 8i film, and the electrical and optical characteristics vary greatly due to the difference in the amount of hydrogen. That is, a”-8il
As more hydrogen enters the ll, the optical bandgap becomes larger and the resistance of a-8i becomes higher, but this also reduces the photosensitivity to long wavelength light. It is difficult to use it with the installed laser beam printer. Also, a-3i
If the hydrogen content in the film is high, depending on the film forming conditions,
(SiH2)n and those having a bonding structure such as 5iHz 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, when the amount of hydrogen penetrating into a-3i is reduced, the optical bandgap becomes smaller and its resistance decreases, but the photosensitivity to longer wavelength light increases. However, when the hydrogen content is small, 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 GeH+ and generating a film with a narrow optical band gap by glow discharge decomposition, but in general, silane-based gas and GeH4
Since the optimum substrate temperature is different between the two methods, the produced film has many structural defects and cannot obtain good photoconductive properties.

Further, waste gas treatment of GeH4 is complicated because it becomes a toxic gas when oxidized. Therefore, such technology is not practical.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and has excellent charging ability, low residual potential, high sensitivity over a wide wavelength range up to the near infrared region, and good adhesion to the substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic photoreceptor having good environmental resistance.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention includes a conductive support, a charge generation layer, and a charge transfer layer IIJ formed between the charge generation layer and the conductive support. In the electrophotographic photoreceptor having a layer, the charge generation layer is made of amorphous silicon and has a layer thickness of 1 to 10 μm, and the charge transfer layer is made of at least one kind selected from carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. It is characterized by being formed of microcrystalline silicon containing elements and having a layer thickness of 3 to 80 μm.

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

This invention will be explained in detail below. The feature of this invention is that μC-3i is used instead of the conventional a-8i. In other words, all or a part of the electrophotographic photoreceptor is covered with microcrystalline silicon (μc-8
i), a mixture of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon (a-8i), or a laminate of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon. Further, in a functionally separated type electrophotographic photoreceptor, μc-3i is used at least in the charge transfer layer.

Some electrophotographic photoreceptors have a barrier layer formed on a conductive support, a photoconductive N layer formed on this barrier layer, and a surface layer formed on this photoconductive layer. The present invention relates to a functionally separated electrophotographic photoreceptor in which a charge transfer layer (CTL) is formed on a support and a charge generation layer (CGL) is formed on the charge transfer layer. In this case, a barrier layer may be provided between the charge transfer layer and the support.

The invention according to this application is characterized by a charge transfer #J layer.

The charge generation layer has a layer thickness of 3 to 80 μm and is formed of μc-3i containing at least one element selected from C, O, and N, and the charge generation layer has an H thickness of 1 to 10 μm.
μm and is made of a-3i.

The charge generation layer generates carriers upon irradiation with light. The layer thickness of the charge generation layer is 1 to 10 μm. When the thickness of the charge generation layer exceeds 10 μm, a long time is required for film formation, and the layer is likely to peel off. On the other hand, when the thickness of the charge generation layer is less than 1 μm, carrier generation efficiency is low.

For the above reasons, the layer thickness of the charge generation layer 24 is set to 1 to 10 μm, and more preferably, Rfg is set to 4 to 8 μm.
Make it. The charge transfer 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 need to have a long life, high mobility, and high transportability. The charge transfer layer is made of μc-3i. 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.

Furthermore, in order to further improve the charging ability and to have the functions of both a charge transfer layer and a charge generation layer, one or more of the elements C, N, and 0 may be contained. If the charge transport layer is too thin or too thick, it will not function satisfactorily.

In other words, in order to maintain a high charging ability of the charge transfer layer,
While it is necessary to increase the layer thickness, if the charge transport layer is too thick, it becomes difficult for carriers to travel, making it difficult for carriers to reach the support. Therefore, the thickness of the charge transport layer needs to be 3 to 80 μm.

By light-doping this charge transfer layer with an element belonging to Group Ⅰ of the periodic table, its dark resistance is increased and the charge retention is increased.
ability can be indirectly increased. Further, the charge transfer layer may contain C1◯ and N to the extent that the product with ημ of the charge does not decrease. By doping μc-8i with C90°N, the sensitivity to visible light can be increased, and by adding 10% of C90°N, the same effect as a-3i can be expected.

Ideally, the charge transfer layer does not have traps (density of states) that trap carriers. Therefore, in order to remove silicon dangling bonds that serve as traps, it is preferable to include a trace amount of C, O, and N in the charge transfer vJ layer. This C,O.

Considering carrier mobility, the amount of N is 20 atomic%.
It is preferable that it is below.

μc-5i is a-
5i and polycrystalline silicon (polycrystalline silicon)
clearly distinguished from That is, in X-ray diffraction measurement, since a-8i is amorphous, only a halo appears;
Although no diffraction pattern can be observed, μc-8i shows a crystal diffraction pattern with a 2θ of around 28 to 28.5′. In addition, the dark resistance of polycrystalline silicon is 106 Ω・crn, whereas the dark resistance of μc-3i is 101
It has a dark resistance of LΩ・cIR or more. This μC-8i is formed by agglomeration of microcrystals having a grain size of approximately several tens of angstroms or more.

A mixture of μc-8i and a-8i is a mixture in which the crystalline region of μC-81 is mixed in a-8i, and μc-8t and a
-3i exists in a similar volume ratio. Also,
The laminate of μc-3i and a-8i is mostly a-8
A layer consisting of i and a layer filled with μc-3i are laminated.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor having such μc-3i has a-
Similarly to 3i, it can be produced by depositing μc-3i on a conductive support using silane gas as a raw material by a high frequency glow discharge decomposition method. In this case,
If the temperature of the support is set higher than in the case of forming a-81, and the high frequency power is also set higher than in the case of a-8i, it becomes easier to form μC-3i. 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. In addition, Si of the raw material gas
By using a gas obtained by diluting a high-order silane gas such as H+ and 5i2He with hydrogen, μc-3'i can be formed with higher efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention. For example, the gas cylinders 1 and 2°3.4 contain SiH+ and B21-1s, respectively.

Source gases such as H2 and CH4 are contained. The gas in these gas cylinders 1.2, 3.4 is supplied to a mixer 8 via a flow rate regulating valve 6 and piping 7. Each cylinder is equipped with a pressure gauge 5, and by monitoring the pressure gauge 5 and adjusting the valve 6, the flow rate and mixing ratio of each raw material gas supplied to the mixer 8 can be adjusted. can. 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 with its surface 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.

A drum base 14 of a photoreceptor is placed on a support base 12 with its axial center aligned with the axial center of the rotating shaft 10.
A heater 15 for heating the drum base is disposed inside the drum base 14. Electrode 13 and drum base 14
There is a high frequency MiI! 16 is connected so that a high frequency current is supplied between the electrode 13 and the drum base 14. The rotating shaft 10 is rotationally driven by a motor 18. The pressure inside the reaction vessel 9 is monitored by a pressure gauge 17, and the reaction vessel 9 is connected via a gate valve 18 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 below the pressure of r). Next, the required reaction gases from the cylinders 1.2 and 3.4 are mixed at a predetermined mixing ratio and introduced into the reaction vessel 9. In this case, the flow rate of the gas introduced into the reaction vessel 9 is set so that the pressure within the reaction vessel 9 is 0.1 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-8i) is deposited on the drum base 14. Note that N20. By using NH3, NO2, N2, CH4°C2H4,02 gas, etc., these elements can be contained in μc-3i.

In this way, the electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention has a 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 electrophotographic photoreceptor has excellent heat resistance, moisture resistance, and abrasion resistance, there is little deterioration even after repeated use over a long period of time, and there is an advantage that it has a long life. Furthermore, since a long wavelength sensitizing gas such as GeH+ is not required, there is no need to provide waste gas treatment equipment, and industrial productivity is extremely high.

It is preferable that μc-3i contain 0.1 to 30 at % of hydrogen. As a result, the dark resistance and bright resistance become harmonious, and the photoconductive properties are improved. μG-
The optical energy gap Ea of 3i is equal to the optical energy gap Ea of a-8i (1,65 to 1.70 eV
) is small compared to In other words, the optical energy gap of μc-3i changes depending on the crystal grain size and crystallinity of the μc-3i microcrystal, and as the crystal grain size and crystallinity increase, the optical energy gap decreases. The optical energy gap approaches the 1.1 eV of crystalline silicon. By the way, the μc-8i layer and the a-3i11i absorb light with energy larger than this optical energy gap,
Light with small amounts of energy passes through it. Therefore, a-3i absorbs only visible light energy, but μc-8i, which has a smaller optical energy gap than a-3i, can also absorb near-infrared light, which has a longer wavelength and lower energy than visible light. I can do it. Therefore, μc-3i has high photosensitivity over a wide wavelength range.

μc-3i having such characteristics is suitable as a photoreceptor material for a laser printer using a semiconductor laser as a light source. When this a-3i is used as a photoreceptor for a laser printer, the light wavelength of the semiconductor laser is 790 nm.
Since 8i is longer than the wavelength range in which it is highly sensitive, the sensitivity of the photoreceptor becomes insufficient, and therefore it is necessary to apply a laser intensity to the photoreceptor that exceeds the ability of the semiconductor laser, which poses a practical problem. On the other hand, when the photoreceptor is formed from μC-8i, its high sensitivity region extends to the near-infrared region, so that it is possible to obtain a photoreceptor for semiconductor laser printers with extremely excellent photosensitivity characteristics.

In order to further improve the photoconductive properties of μc-3i, which has such excellent photosensitivity characteristics, it is preferable to incorporate hydrogen into μc-3i.

For example, in the case of doping μc-8ilil with hydrogen by the glow discharge decomposition method, S i H4 and 5i2
Either a silane-based source gas such as Hs and a carrier gas such as hydrogen are introduced into the reaction vessel to cause glow discharge, or Si
A mixed gas of silicon halide such as F4 and 5iCl+ and hydrogen gas may be used, or a mixed gas of silane-based gas and silicon halide may be used. Furthermore, the μc-3i layer can also be formed by a physical method such as sputtering instead of the glow discharge decomposition method.

Substantially the entire region of the charge transfer layer may be formed of μC-81, or may be formed of a mixture or a laminate of a-3i and μc-3i. 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-8i, or may be made of a mixture or a laminate.

Preferably, μc-3i is doped with at least one element selected from nitrogen N, carbon C, and oxygen O. 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 of silicon dangling bonds,
It is thought that the density of states existing in the forbidden band between bands is reduced, thereby increasing the dark resistance.

μc-8i itself is somewhat n-type, but the charge transfer layer mainly made of μc-3i is lightly doped with elements belonging to Group 1 of the periodic table (10-7 to 10-3 atomic %).
), the charge transfer layer becomes an i-type (intrinsic) semiconductor, has a high dark resistance, and improves the S/N ratio and charging ability.

Preferably, a barrier layer is provided between the conductive support and the charge transport layer. This barrier layer suppresses the flow of charges from the conductive support to the charge transfer layer, thereby enhancing the charge retention function on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor and increasing its charging ability. In the Carlson method, when the surface of the photoreceptor is positively charged, the barrier layer is made n-type in order to prevent electrons from being injected from the support side to the charge transfer layer. 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 charge transfer 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 a-8i
It is also possible to construct the barrier layer using .

In order to make μc-8i and a-3i n-type, it is necessary to dope them with elements belonging to Group 1 of the periodic table, such as boron B, aluminum AI, gallium Qa, indium ln, and thallium T1. Preferably, μc-3i
In order to make 111 an n-type, it is preferable to dope it with an element belonging to Group V of the periodic table, such as nitrogen N, phosphorus P, arsenic AS, antimony sb, and bismuth BI.

Doping with this n-type impurity or n-type impurity prevents charges from moving from the support side to the N transport layer.

Furthermore, a barrier layer can also be formed by widening the band gap. This is μC-8i or a-3i
What is necessary is to contain C, O, and N. By doping this C9○, N-containing μc4s i or a-8i with an element belonging to Group 1 or Group V of the periodic table,
Its blocking ability can be increased by 100. Furthermore,
C.O.

A μc-3i layer or a-8i layer containing N and a μc-8i layer containing an element belonging to Group 1 or Group V of the periodic table.
A barrier layer with high charging ability and charge retention ability can also be obtained by stacking a layer or an a-3i layer.

The layer thickness of the barrier layer is 0.01 to 101. It is preferable that it is tm.

Preferably, a surface layer is provided on the charge generation layer. Since the charge generation layer a-3i 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 prototype absorbed by the photoconductive layer decreases, resulting in increased optical loss. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a surface layer to prevent reflection. Further, by providing the surface layer, the charge generation layer is protected from loss. In general, by forming a surface layer, the charging ability is improved, and the charge is more easily deposited on the surface. Materials forming the surface layer include 513N4.5102, SiC, A120a.
, a-8iN:H.

There are amorphous compounds such as a-8iO:H, and a-3iC;H, and organic materials such as polyvinyl chloride and polyamide.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 2 to 5 are cross-sectional views of an electrophotographic photoreceptor embodying the present invention. In FIG. 2, a charge transfer layer 23 is formed on an aluminum conductive support 21, and a charge transfer layer 23 is formed on an aluminum conductive support 21. A charge generation layer 24 is formed on the transfer layer 23.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3, a surface layer 25 is further formed on the charge generation layer 24. The charge generation layer 24 is a-3i
The charge transfer layer 23 has at least a portion of μ
It is made of c-8i.

Further, in FIGS. 4 and 5, a barrier layer 22 is formed between the charge transfer layer 23 and the conductive support 21. In FIG.

The visible light component of the light incident on the electrophotographic photoreceptor is a-
The carriers are absorbed by the charge generation layer formed with 8i and generate carriers. On the other hand, the long wavelength component (near infrared light) passes through the charge generation layer 24, reaches the charge transfer layer 23, and is absorbed by the charge transfer layer 23.

Since the charge transfer layer 23 is mainly formed of μc-8i, μc-8i has high light absorption in the infrared region, and therefore the photoreceptor can be moved from the visible light region to the near-infrared region. IJl! (For example, 79 which is the oscillation wavelength of a semiconductor laser
Sensitivity can be increased to about 0 nm).

As shown in FIG. 3, a surface layer 2 is placed on the charge generation layer 24.
In the photoconductive member formed with 5, this surface layer 25
is a-3i (a-8iC:H, a-8iO:H, a-3iN:H,
a-8i'CN: H, etc.). This protects the surface of the photoconductive layer and improves environmental resistance and charging ability. The content of C2○, N is 10 to 50
Preferably, it is atomic percent.

Next, the results of manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention and testing its photoconductive properties will be described.

K1''LL An AI-made drum (diameter: 80 mm, length: 350 mm) as a conductive substrate was degreased with trichlene, washed and dried, and loaded into a reaction vessel. The surface of this drum is subjected to acid treatment, alkali treatment, or sandblasting treatment as necessary to prevent interference. The inside of the reaction vessel is evacuated to a vacuum degree of about 10' using a diffusion pump (not shown). Thereafter, the drum base is heated and maintained at about 300°C. Then, S1 gas at a flow rate of 200 SCCM, the flow rate ratio to this S i H4 gas flow jl is 10
-' B2 H6 gas, 20 SCCM CH4 gas, and 28 LM H2 gas were mixed and supplied to the reaction vessel. Thereafter, the inside of the reaction vessel was evacuated using a mechanical booster pump and a rotary pump, and the pressure was adjusted to 1.2 Torr. A high frequency power of 2 kW at 13.56 MHz was applied to the electrode, and a temperature of 14°F was set between the electrode and the drum base.
32 Plasma of H6, H2 and CH4 was generated to form a charge transfer layer 23 having a thickness of 20 μm as a μc-8i layer containing carbon on the support 21. Thereafter, the flow rate of Si H4 gas was set to 5003 CCM, and the flow rate ratio of B2 H6 to SiH+ was set to 10-6, and these gases were introduced into the reaction vessel. A film was formed by applying 300 watts of power at a reaction pressure of 1.0 torr to form a charge generation layer 24 of 10 μm thick a-3i. Next, a-8i containing C, O, and N was removed by the same operation to form a surface layer. The photoreceptor film formed in this way was heated to 790nm.
When an image was formed using a laser printer equipped with a semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of m, a clear image with high resolution was formed even if the exposure amount on the photoreceptor surface was 258 r' g/ci. was completed. Furthermore, when the reproducibility and stability of the transfer process were investigated by repeated copying, it was demonstrated that the transferred images were extremely good and had excellent corona resistance, moisture resistance, abrasion resistance, etc.

Example 2 A drum made of A1 (diameter 80 mm, length 350 mm) as a conductive substrate was degreased with trichlene, washed and dried, and then loaded into a reaction vessel.The surface of this drum was Acid treatment, alkali treatment, or sandblasting treatment is performed to prevent interference.The interior of the reaction vessel is evacuated using a diffusion pump (not shown) to a vacuum level of about 104.During this evaporation, the drum base is heated to a vacuum level of about 304 'C
i: Hold. Then Si with a flow rate of 500 SCCM
H4 gas, B2 H6 gas with a flow rate ratio of 10'3 to this S i H4 gas flow rumor, and CH4 of 11005CC
The gases were mixed and fed to the reaction vessel. Thereafter, the inside of the reaction vessel was evacuated using a mechanical booster pump and a rotary pump, and the pressure was adjusted to 1 Torr. 13. to the electrode.
A high frequency power of 300 watts at 56 MHz was applied to generate a voltage of S i ) (+ , 82 H6) between the electrode and the drum base.
and CH4 plasma was generated to form a barrier layer 22, which was a p-type amorphous silicon carbide layer, on the support 21. After that, the S i H4 waste stream 11 was heated to 200 SCC.
M, the B2 H6 gas flow rate was reduced to 10-7 in terms of the flow rate ratio to the Si H4 gas flow rate, and further CH4 gas was flowed at 20 SCCM, H2 gas was flowed at 28 LM, the reaction pressure was 1.2 Torr, and the high frequency power was 1. The charge transfer layer 23 was formed under the condition of .2kW.

This charge transfer layer 23 was formed of μG-3i containing carbon, and had a layer thickness of 20 μm. Next, the flow rate of SiH4 gas was set to 500 SCCM, and the flow rate ratio of B2H6 to SiH+ was set to 10-6, and these gases were introduced into the reaction vessel. 300 at a reaction pressure of 1.0 Torr.
A 10 μm thick a-8i charge generation layer 24 was formed by applying 10 watts of electric power. Then, by similar operation,
C.O.

A-3i containing N was deposited to form a surface layer. When the photoreceptor thus formed was mounted on a laser printer equipped with a semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 790 nm to form an image, the amount of exposure on the surface of the photoreceptor was 258 nm.
Even with rQ/cd, a clear image with high resolution could be formed.

Furthermore, when the reproducibility and stability of the transfer process were investigated by repeated copying, it was found that the transferred image was good at the 44th copy, and that corona resistance, moisture resistance, abrasion resistance, etc. were excellent.

[Effects of the Invention 1] According to the present invention, it has high resistance and excellent charging characteristics, and also has high light 1.2.3, 4 in the visible light and near infrared light regions.
: Cylinder, 5: Pressure gauge, 6; Pal 7.7; 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;
Charge transfer layer, 24; Charge generation layer, 25: Surface layer Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue]・11.-Mr. Michibu Uga, Director-General of the License Agency■, Indication of Case Patent Application No. 1983-233104 2 Name of Invention Electrophotographic Photoreceptor 3, Person Making Amendment Relationship with Case For Patent ・Shares of Person J (307) Company Toshiba (and 1 other person) 4. Agent 5. Voluntary amendment mark J; 7. Contents of amendment (1) Particulars: middle, page 3, line 15, ``Trinitrofluorene J'' was replaced with ``Trinitrofluorene J.'' Corrected to trinitrofluorenone j.

(2) In the specification, on page 25, line 6, and page $27, line 3, the characters r t O''-'J are corrected to ``10 Turkey.''

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) In an electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a conductive support, a charge generation layer, and a charge transfer layer provided between the charge generation layer and the conductive support, the charge generation layer is made of amorphous silicon. The charge transfer layer includes microcrystalline silicon containing at least one element selected from carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen and has a layer thickness of 3 to 80 μm. An electrophotographic photoreceptor. (2) The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1, wherein the charge generation layer or the charge transfer layer contains hydrogen. (3) The charge generation layer or the charge transfer layer is
The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it contains at least one element selected from elements belonging to Group III or Group V. (4) The electron generation layer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charge generation layer contains at least one element selected from carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Photographic photoreceptor. (5) The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a surface layer is provided on the charge generation layer. (6) A barrier layer is provided between the charge transfer layer and the conductive support, as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 5. Electrophotographic photoreceptor. (7) The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 6, wherein the barrier layer contains at least one element selected from carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. (8) The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the barrier layer contains hydrogen. (9) The barrier layer contains at least one element selected from elements belonging to Group III or Group V of the periodic table. The electrophotographic photoreceptor according to any one of the items.