JPH0219948B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to light (here, light in a broad sense, including ultraviolet rays, visible rays, infrared rays, X-rays, γ-rays, etc.)
The present invention relates to photoconductive members for electrophotography that are sensitive to electromagnetic waves such as. As a photoconductive material for forming a photoconductive layer in a solid-state imaging device, an electrophotographic image forming member in the image forming field, or a document reading device, it is highly sensitive,
Must have a high signal-to-noise ratio [photocurrent (Ip)/dark current (Id)], have absorption spectral characteristics that match the spectral characteristics of the irradiated electromagnetic waves, have fast photoresponsiveness, and have the desired dark resistance value. At times, solid-state imaging devices are required to have characteristics such as being non-polluting to the human body and being able to easily process afterimages within a predetermined time.
Particularly in the case of an electrophotographic image forming member incorporated into an electrophotographic apparatus used in an office as a business machine, the above-mentioned non-polluting property during use is an important point. Based on these points, amorphous silicon (hereinafter referred to as a-Si) is a photoconductive material that has recently attracted attention. As a photographic image forming member, application to a photoelectric conversion reader is described in DE 2933411. However, conventional photoconductive members having a photoconductive layer composed of a-Si have poor electrical, optical, and photoconductive properties such as dark resistance, photosensitivity, and photoresponsiveness, as well as use environment characteristics. In terms of stability, stability over time, and durability, each property has been improved individually, but the reality is that there is still room for further improvement in terms of overall property improvement. be. For example, when applied to electrophotographic image forming members, when trying to achieve high photosensitivity and high dark resistance at the same time, in the past, it has often been observed that residual potential remains during use, and this type of photoconductive member When used repeatedly for a long period of time, fatigue accumulates due to repeated use, resulting in a so-called ghost phenomenon in which an afterimage occurs. In addition, when the photoconductive layer is composed of a-Si material, in order to improve its electrical and photoconductive properties, hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms such as fluorine atoms and chlorine atoms, and electrically conductive type Boron atoms, phosphorus atoms, etc. are included for control purposes, and other atoms are included as constituent atoms in the photoconductive layer for the purpose of improving other properties. In some cases, problems may arise in the electrical or photoconductive properties or voltage resistance of the formed layer. That is, for example, the lifetime of photocarriers generated by light irradiation in the formed photoconductive layer is not sufficient, or the injection of charge from the support side is not sufficiently prevented in dark areas, or ,
For example, there may be image defects commonly called "white spots" on images transferred to transfer paper, which are thought to be caused by localized discharge breakdown phenomena, or defects that may be caused by rubbing when a blade is used for cleaning, for example. A so-called image defect called "white stripe" may occur. Furthermore, when used in a humid atmosphere or immediately after being left in a humid atmosphere for a long time, so-called blurring of the image often occurs. Furthermore, if the layer thickness exceeds 10 microns or more, the layer may lift or peel off from the surface of the support, or cracks may develop as the time passes for the layer to stand in the air after being removed from the vacuum deposition chamber for layer formation. You can win by causing phenomena such as ``happening''. This phenomenon often occurs especially when the support is a drum-shaped support commonly used in the field of electrophotography, and there are points that can be solved in terms of stability over time. . Therefore, while efforts are being made to improve the properties of the a-Si material itself, it is necessary to take measures to solve all of the above-mentioned problems when designing photoconductive members. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and includes a
―As a result of intensive research and study on Si from the viewpoint of its applicability and applicability as a photoconductive member used in electrophotographic image forming members, we found that Si has a silicon atom as its base material and a hydrogen atom (H ) or a halogen atom (X), so-called hydrogenated amorphous silicon, halogenated amorphous silicon, or halogen-containing hydrogenated amorphous silicon [hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to as "a" - Si(H, It not only shows extremely excellent properties in practical use, but also surpasses conventional photoconductive materials in every respect, especially as a photoconductive material for electrophotography. It is based on the findings. The electrical, optical, and photoconductive properties of the present invention are virtually always stable regardless of the environment in which it is used, and it is extremely resistant to light fatigue and does not deteriorate even after repeated use, making it durable. The main object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductive member for electrophotography which has excellent moisture resistance and has no or almost no residual potential observed. Another object of the present invention is to provide excellent adhesion between a layer provided on a support and the support and between each laminated layer, to provide a dense and stable structural arrangement, and to provide layer quality. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photoconductive member for electrophotography having high properties. Another object of the present invention is that, when applied as an electrophotographic image forming member, the present invention has sufficient charge retention ability during charging processing for electrostatic image formation, and ordinary electrophotographic methods can be applied very effectively. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photoconductive member for electrophotography having excellent electrophotographic properties that can be used for electrophotography. Still another object of the present invention is to provide high density images without any image defects or blurring during long-term use.
An object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductive member for electrophotography in which it is possible to easily obtain high-quality images with clear halftones and high resolution. Yet another object of the present invention is high photosensitivity,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductive member for electrophotography having high signal-to-noise ratio characteristics and high voltage resistance. The photoconductive member for electrophotography of the present invention is composed of a support for the photoconductive member for electrophotography, an amorphous material having silicon atoms as a matrix, and a first amorphous layer exhibiting photoconductivity. Silicon atom and 1×10 ^-3 ~
A photoconductive member for electrophotography (hereinafter referred to as "photoconductive member") comprising a second amorphous layer made of an amorphous material consisting of 90 atomic% carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms, The crystalline layer constitutes the entire layer region of the amorphous layer and contains oxygen atoms, and the layer thickness is 1 to 1.
The first layer area is 100μ, and the constituent atoms are 0.01×5 to ^{10 4} atomic in a continuous distribution state in the layer thickness direction.
a second layer region with a layer thickness of 30 Å to 5 μ, which contains atoms belonging to Group 1 of the periodic table in ppm, constitutes a part of the amorphous layer, and is bonded to the support; The distribution state is determined in such a way that the distribution state of the amorphous layer has a portion where the distribution concentration of oxygen atoms is high at 10 atomic % or more on the support side, and a portion where the distribution concentration of oxygen atoms is considerably lower than that on the support side on the free surface side of the amorphous layer. It is characterized by a uniform and continuous distribution state. The photoconductive member of the present invention designed to have the above-mentioned layer structure can solve all of the above-mentioned problems, and has extremely excellent electrical, optical, photoconductive properties, and pressure resistance. and usage environment characteristics. In particular, when applied as an electrophotographic image forming member, there is no influence of residual potential on image formation, its electrical characteristics are stable, and it is highly sensitive and has high
It has a high signal-to-noise ratio, has excellent light fatigue resistance and repeated use characteristics, and can stably and repeatedly produce high-quality images with high density, clear halftones, and high resolution. Further, in the photoconductive member of the present invention, the first amorphous layer formed on the support is strong, and
In addition, it has excellent adhesion to the support and can be used repeatedly at high speed and continuously for long periods of time. Hereinafter, the photoconductive member of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically shown to explain the layer configuration of a photoconductive member according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The photoconductive member 100 shown in FIG. 1 is made of a-Si (H,
A first amorphous layer 10 consisting of
2, and a second amorphous layer 106 made of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and carbon atoms. The first amorphous layer 102 occupies the entire layer region and contains oxygen atoms as constituent atoms, a first layer region O103 that contains atoms belonging to Group Group of the Periodic Table (Group atoms). A second layer region 104 and a layer region 10 containing oxygen atoms but not group atoms on the second layer region 104
It has a layered structure consisting of 5. Oxygen atoms contained in the first layer region O103 are continuously distributed in the layer thickness direction in the layer region 103, and the distribution state is non-uniform, but substantially on the surface of the support 101. A continuous and substantially uniform distribution in a plane parallel to is preferred. In the photoconductive member 100 shown in FIG. 1, a layer region 105 containing no group atoms is provided on the surface side of the first amorphous layer 102. The group atoms contained in the second layer region 104 are continuously distributed in the layer thickness direction in the layer region 104, the distribution state is uniform, and the atoms are substantially distributed on the surface of the support 101. Preferably, it is continuously and substantially uniformly distributed in parallel planes. In the photoconductive member of the present invention, the first layer region O contains oxygen atoms to achieve high dark resistance and to maintain close contact between the first amorphous layer and the support directly provided thereon. Emphasis is placed on improving gender. In particular, as in the photoconductive member 100 shown in FIG. 1, the first amorphous layer 102 has a first layer region O containing oxygen atoms.
103, second layer region 1 containing group atoms
04, layer region 10 that does not contain group atoms
Better results can be obtained in the case of a layer structure having a layer region having a layer region O103 and a layer region shared by the first layer region O103 and the second layer region 104. Further, in the photoconductive member of the present invention, the layer region O103 of oxygen atoms contained in the first layer region O103 is
The distribution state in the layer thickness direction in 103 is determined firstly by the support 101 on which the first layer region O103 is provided.
Alternatively, in order to improve adhesion and contact with other layers, the distribution concentration is made higher on the side of the bonding surface with the support 101 or other layers. Secondly, the oxygen atoms contained in the first layer region O103 are resistant to light irradiation from the free surface 107 side.
In order to increase the sensitivity of 05, the distributed concentration is gradually reduced on the free surface 107 side, and the distributed concentration is reduced to substantially zero at the interface with the second amorphous layer 106. It is preferably contained in the first layer region O103. Second layer region 10
In the layer region 104, the distribution state of group atoms contained in 4 is as follows in the layer thickness direction:
It is continuous and uniform, and is also continuous and uniform in a plane parallel to the surface of the support 101. In the present invention, atoms belonging to group of the periodic table contained in the second layer region constituting the first amorphous layer are B (boron),
These include Al (aluminum), Ga (gallium), In (indium), Tl (thallium), etc., and B and Ga are particularly preferably used. In the present invention, the content of group atoms contained in the second layer region is appropriately determined as desired so as to effectively achieve the object of the present invention, but is usually 0.01 to 5. ×10 ⁴ atomic ppm, preferably 0.5 to 1 × 10 ⁴ atomic ppm, optimally 1 to
It is desirable that the content be 5×10 ³ atomic ppm. The amount of oxygen atoms contained in the first layer region O can be determined as desired depending on the properties required of the photoconductive member to be formed, but is usually 0.001 to 30 atomic%. , preferably 0.002~
It is desirable that the content be 20 atomic%, most preferably 0.003 to 10 atomic%. In the photoconductive member of the present invention, the first layer region O contains oxygen atoms to provide a high dark resistance and a gap between the first layer region O and the support on which the first amorphous layer is directly provided. An emphasis has been placed on improving the adhesion of the film, and efforts have been made to further improve the pressure resistance and increase the sensitivity by not containing oxygen atoms in the layer region on the surface side. In particular, like the photoconductive member 100 shown in FIG.
The first amorphous layer 102 has a first layer region O103 containing oxygen atoms, a second layer region 104 containing group atoms, and a layer region 105 containing no group atoms. , first layer region O10
Better results are obtained in the case of a layer structure in which the layer region 3 and the second layer region 104 have a common layer region. In the photoconductive member of the present invention, the first layer region O that constitutes the entire layer region of the first amorphous layer and contains oxygen atoms is, in part, the first layer region O of the first amorphous layer. For the purpose of improving the adhesion with the support, the second layer region that constitutes a part of the first amorphous layer and contains group atoms is, in part, In order to prevent charges from being injected into the first amorphous layer from the support side when the second amorphous layer is charged from the free surface side, the support and The layer region to be bonded to the first amorphous layer is provided with a structure in which at least a portion thereof is shared. In the photoconductive member of the present invention, the layer region containing group atoms is provided between the first amorphous layer and the support, from the support side to the first amorphous layer. When the main purpose is to prevent charge injection into the amorphous layer, it is necessary to make the first amorphous layer as unevenly distributed as possible toward the support side. In such a case, the layer thickness t _B of the layer region containing the group group atoms (the layer thickness of layer region 104 in FIG. 1) and the layer region provided above the layer region are The first amorphous layer is formed so that the relationship t _B /(T + t _B )≦0.4 is established between the layer thickness T of the removed layer region (layer region 105 in FIG. 1). More preferably, the value of the above relational expression is 0.35 or less, most preferably 0.3 or less. In addition, the layer thickness t _B of the layer region containing group atoms
Usually 30Å to 5μ, preferably 40Å to 4μ,
The optimum thickness is preferably 50 Å to 3 μ. On the other hand, the sum of the layer thickness T and the layer thickness t _B (T+t _B ) is usually 1 to 100 μm, preferably 1 to 80 μm, and most preferably 2 to 50 μm. In the photoconductive member of the present invention, the first amorphous layer is provided unevenly on the support side.
Consisting of a layer region containing a group atom and a layer region remaining after the layer region that does not contain a group atom, the layer region does not contain a group atom. The layer thickness T is appropriately determined at the time of layer design according to the characteristics required of the photoconductive member to be formed. In the present invention, the layer thickness T is usually
0.1-90μ, preferably 0.5-80μ, optimally 1
It is desirable that the thickness be ~70μ. 2 to 10 show typical examples of the distribution state of oxygen atoms contained in the layer region O constituting the first amorphous layer of the photoconductive member in the present invention in the layer thickness direction. It will be done. In FIGS. 2 to 10, the horizontal axis shows the content C of oxygen atoms, the vertical axis shows the layer thickness t of the layer region O containing oxygen atoms, and t _B indicates the position of the interface of the support. , t _T indicates the position of the interface on the side opposite to the support side. That is, the layer region O containing oxygen atoms
In this case, layers are formed from the t _B side toward the t _T side. In the present invention, the layer region O containing oxygen atoms is mainly composed of a-Si(H,X) and occupies the entire layer region of the first amorphous layer exhibiting photoconductivity. FIG. 2 shows a first typical example of the distribution state of oxygen atoms contained in the layer region O in the layer thickness direction. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the content concentration of oxygen atoms is from the interface position t _B to the position t ₁ where the surface where the layer region O containing oxygen atoms is formed and the surface of the layer region O are in contact. While C takes a constant value of _C1 , it is contained in the layer region O where oxygen atoms are formed, and the position
From t ₁ , the concentration C ₂ is gradually and continuously reduced until it reaches the interface position t _T . At the interface position _tT , the concentration C of oxygen atoms is _C3 . In the example shown in FIG. 3, the concentration C of the contained oxygen atoms gradually and continuously decreases from the concentration _C4 from the position _tB to the position _tT , and at the position _tT the concentration _{C5 decreases} . The distribution state is formed as follows. In the case of FIG. 4, the concentration C of oxygen atoms is constant at C ₆ from position t _B to position t ₂ , and at position t ₂
The content concentration C is gradually and continuously decreased between and the position _tT , and the content concentration C is substantially zero at the position _tT . In the case of Figure 5, the oxygen atom is located at a position lower than position t _B.
The content concentration C ₈ is gradually decreased continuously until reaching t _T , and becomes substantially zero at the position t _T. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the concentration C of oxygen atoms is constant at a concentration _C9 between the position _tB and the position _t3 , and the concentration _C10 at the position _tT . Between position _t3 and position _tT , the content concentration C is linearly decreased from position _t3 to position _tT . In the example shown in FIG. 7, from position t _B to position t ₄ , the concentration C ₁₁ is constant, and from position t ₄ to position t _T , the concentration decreases linearly from C ₁₂ to C ₁₃ . It is said that the distribution state is as follows. In the example shown in FIG. 8, from position t _B to position t _T
Until reaching , the concentration C of oxygen atoms decreases in a linear manner so as to reach zero from the concentration _C14 . In FIG. 9, from position _tB to position _t5 , the concentration C of oxygen atoms is lower than the concentration _C15 .
An example is shown in which the concentration C ₁₆ is linearly decreased to C 16 and the concentration C ₁₆ is kept at a constant value between the position t ₅ and the position t _T. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the concentration C of oxygen atoms is at the concentration C ₁₇ at the position t _B , and is gradually reduced by this concentration C ₁₇ until reaching the position t ₆ , and at t ₆ In the vicinity of the position t, the concentration decreases rapidly and becomes the concentration _C18 at the position _t6 . Between position t ₆ and position t ₇ , the concentration is first rapidly decreased, and then gradually decreased to reach C ₁₉ at position t ₇ , and between position t ₇ and t ₈ It is gradually reduced very slowly until it reaches the concentration C ₂₀ at position t ₈ . Between position _t8 and position _tT , the concentration is reduced from _C20 to substantially zero according to a curve shaped as shown in the figure. As described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10, some typical examples of the distribution state of oxygen atoms contained in the layer region O in the layer thickness direction, in the present invention, oxygen atoms are There is a layer region O in which a distribution state of oxygen atoms is formed, which has a part where the content concentration C of atoms is high, and has a part where the content concentration C is considerably lower on the interface _tT side than on the support side. Preferably, it is provided in an amorphous layer. In the present invention, the layer region O containing oxygen atoms constituting the first amorphous layer is the localized region A containing oxygen atoms at a relatively high concentration toward the support side, as described above. has. If the localized region A is explained using the symbols shown in FIGS. 2 to 10, it is desirable that the localized region A be provided within 5 μm from the interface position t _B. In the present invention, the localized region A may be the entire layer region L _T up to 5 μm thick from the interface position t _B , or may be a part of the layer region L _T. Whether the localized region A is a part or all of the layer region L _T is determined as appropriate depending on the characteristics required of the first amorphous layer to be formed. Localized region A has a distribution state of oxygen atoms contained therein in the layer thickness direction, and the maximum Cmax of the content distribution value (distribution concentration value) of oxygen atoms is usually 10 atomic.
% or more, preferably 20atomic% or more, optimally
It is desirable that the layers be formed so that a distribution state of 30 atomic % or more can be achieved. That is, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the layer region O containing oxygen atoms has a maximum distribution concentration Cmax within 5 μm in layer thickness from the support side (layer region 5 μ thick from t _B ). Formed to exist. The support used in the present invention may be electrically conductive or electrically insulating. Examples of the conductive support include NiCr, stainless steel, Al,
Examples include metals such as Cr, Mo, Au, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt, and Pd, and alloys thereof. As the electrically insulating support, films or sheets of synthetic resins such as polyester, polyethylene, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polysterene, polyamide, glass, ceramic, paper, etc. are usually used. . Preferably, at least one surface of these electrically insulating supports is conductively treated, and another layer is preferably provided on the conductively treated surface side. For example, if it is glass, NiCr,
Al, Cr, Mo, Au, Ir, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt,
Conductivity can be imparted by providing a thin film made of Pd, In ₂ O ₃ , SnO 2 _, ITO (In ₂ O ₃ +SnO ₂ ), etc., or if it is a synthetic resin film such as polyester film, NiCr, Al ,Ag,Pb,Zn,Ni,
A thin film of metal such as Au, Cr, Mo, Ir, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt, etc. is provided on the surface by vacuum evaporation, electron beam evaporation, sputtering, etc., or the surface is laminated with the metal, Conductivity is imparted to the surface. The shape of the support may be any shape such as a cylinder, a belt, or a plate, and the shape is determined as desired. For example, the photoconductive member 100 in FIG. If it is used as a forming member, it is preferably in the form of an endless belt or a cylinder in the case of continuous high-speed copying. The thickness of the support is determined as appropriate so that the desired photoconductive member is formed, but if the photoconductive member is required to have flexibility, the thickness of the support should be determined within a range that allows the support to function satisfactorily. If inside, it will be made as thin as possible. However, in such cases, the thickness is usually set to 10μ or more in view of manufacturing and handling of the support, mechanical strength, etc. In the present invention, the first amorphous layer composed of a-Si (H, It is done by law. For example, in order to form an amorphous layer composed of a-Si (H, together with hydrogen atom (H)
A raw material gas for introduction and/or for introduction of halogen atoms (X) is introduced into a deposition chamber whose interior can be reduced in pressure, and a glow discharge is generated in the deposition chamber. A layer made of a-Si(H,X) may be formed on the surface of the support. In addition, when forming by sputtering method,
For example, for introducing hydrogen atoms (H) and/or halogen atoms (X) when sputtering a target composed of Si in an atmosphere of inert gas such as Ar, He, or a mixed gas based on these gases. It is sufficient to introduce this gas into the deposition chamber for sputtering. In the present invention, as the halogen atom (X) contained in the first amorphous layer as necessary,
Specific examples include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, with fluorine and chlorine being particularly preferred. As the raw material gas for supplying Si used in the present invention, silicon hydride (silanes) in a gaseous state or that can be gasified such as SiH ₄ , Si ₂ H ₆ , Si ₃ H ₈ , Si ₄ H ₁₀ is effective. Among them, SiH ₄ and Si ₂ H ₆ are particularly preferred in terms of ease of layer preparation work and good Si supply efficiency. Many halogen compounds are effective as the raw material gas for introducing halogen atoms used in the present invention, such as halogen gas, halides, interhalogen compounds, halogen-substituted silane derivatives, etc. Preferred examples include halogen compounds that can be gasified. Further, a silicon compound containing a halogen atom, which is in a gaseous state or can be gasified and whose constituent elements are a silicon atom and a halogen atom, can also be mentioned as an effective compound in the present invention. Specifically, halogen compounds that can be suitably used in the present invention include fluorine, chlorine, bromine,
Iodine halogen gas, BrF, ClF, ClF ₃ ,
Examples include interhalogen compounds such as BrF ₅ , BrF ₃ , IF ₃ , IF ₇ , ICl, and IBr. Preferred examples of silicon compounds containing halogen atoms, so-called silane derivatives substituted with halogen atoms, include silicon halides such as SiF ₄ , Si ₂ F ₆ , SiCl ₄ , and SiBr ₄ . I can do it. When forming the characteristic photoconductive member of the present invention by a glow discharge method using such a silicon compound containing a halogen atom, silicon hydride gas is used as a raw material gas capable of supplying Si. Even if you don't,
A first amorphous layer made of a-Si containing halogen atoms can be formed on a predetermined support. When forming the first amorphous layer containing halogen atoms according to the glow discharge method, basically Si
Silicon halide gas, which is the raw material gas for supply, and
Gases such as Ar, H ₂ , He, etc. are introduced into the deposition chamber for forming the first amorphous layer at a predetermined mixing ratio and gas flow rate, and a glow discharge is generated to remove these gases. By forming a plasma atmosphere, a first amorphous layer can be formed on a predetermined support, but these gases may also contain hydrogen atoms in order to introduce hydrogen atoms. A layer may also be formed by mixing a silicon compound gas in a predetermined amount. Moreover, each gas may be used not only as a single species but also as a mixture of multiple species at a predetermined mixing ratio. To form an amorphous layer made of a-Si (H, In the case of the ion plating method, polycrystalline silicon or single crystal silicon is housed in a deposition boat as an evaporation source, and this silicon evaporation source is heated using a resistance heating method or an electron beam method (EB method). This can be done by heating and evaporating the flying evaporated material using a method such as the method (method), etc., and passing the flying evaporated material through a predetermined gas plasma atmosphere. At this time, in order to introduce halogen atoms into the layer formed by either the sputtering method or the ion plating method, a gas of the above-mentioned halogen compound or a silicon compound containing the above-mentioned halogen atoms is introduced into the deposition chamber. It is sufficient to introduce the gas to form a plasma atmosphere of the gas. In addition, when introducing hydrogen atoms, a raw material gas for introducing hydrogen atoms, such as H ₂ or the above-mentioned silane gases, is introduced into the deposition chamber for sputtering to form a plasma atmosphere of the gas. Just do it. In the present invention, the above-mentioned halogen compounds or halogen-containing silicon compounds are effectively used as raw material gases for introducing halogen atoms, but in addition, HF, HCl,
Hydrogen halides such as HBr, HI, SiH ₂ F ₂ ,
Halogen-substituted silicon hydrides such as SiH ₂ I ₂ , SiH ₂ Cl ₂ , SiHCl ₃ , SiH ₂ Br ₂ , SiHBr ₃ , etc., and halides that have a hydrogen atom as one of their constituents in a gaseous state or can be gasified are also used. It can be mentioned as an effective starting material for forming the first amorphous layer. These halides containing hydrogen atoms introduce hydrogen atoms, which are extremely effective in controlling electrical or photoelectric properties, at the same time as halogen atoms are introduced into the layer during the formation of the first amorphous layer. , is used as a suitable raw material for introducing halogen atoms in the present invention. In order to structurally introduce hydrogen atoms into the first amorphous layer, in addition to the above, H ₂ , SiH ₄ , Si ₂ H ₆ ,
This can also be done by causing a discharge by causing a silicon hydride gas such as Si ₃ H ₈ or Si ₄ H ₁₀ to coexist with a silicon compound for supplying Si in the deposition chamber. For example, in the case of the reactive sputtering method, Si
Using a target, a gas for introducing halogen atoms and H ₂ gas, including inert gases such as He and Ar as necessary, are introduced into the deposition chamber to form a plasma atmosphere, and the Si target is sputtered. As a result, a first amorphous layer made of a-Si(H,X) is formed on the substrate. Furthermore, a gas such as B ₂ H ₆ can also be introduced for doping with impurities. In the present invention, the amount of hydrogen atoms (H) or the amount of halogen atoms (X) contained in the first amorphous layer of the photoconductive member to be formed, or the sum of the amounts of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms (H+X ) is usually 1~
It is desirable that the content be 40 atomic %, preferably 5 to 30 atomic %. In order to control the amount of hydrogen atoms (H) and/or halogen atoms (X) contained in the first amorphous layer, for example, the support temperature or/and the amount of hydrogen atoms (H) or halogen atoms (X ) may be controlled by controlling the amount of the starting material introduced into the deposition system, the discharge force, etc. In order to provide the layer region containing group atoms and the layer region O containing oxygen atoms in the first amorphous layer, the first amorphous layer is formed by a claw discharge method, a reactive sputtering method, etc. In this case, a starting material for introducing group atoms and a starting material for introducing oxygen atoms are used together with the above-mentioned starting material for forming the first amorphous layer to control their amount in the formed layer. However, this can be achieved by containing it. When using the glow discharge method to form the layer region O containing oxygen atoms and the layer region O containing group atoms constituting the first amorphous layer, the raw material gas for forming each layer region As the starting material, a starting material for introducing oxygen atoms and/or a starting material for introducing group atoms is added to one selected as desired from among the starting materials for forming the first amorphous layer described above. Starting materials are added. Such starting materials for introducing oxygen atoms or starting materials for introducing group atoms include gaseous substances or gasified substances whose constituent atoms are at least oxygen atoms or group atoms. Most can be used. For example, if layer region O is to be formed, a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Si), a raw material gas containing oxygen atoms O, and hydrogen atoms (H) or/and halogen atoms as necessary. A raw material gas containing atoms (X) as constituent atoms is mixed at a desired mixing ratio, or a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Si) and oxygen atoms O and hydrogen atoms are used.
(H) is also mixed at a desired mixing ratio, or a raw material gas containing silicon atoms (Si) and silicon atoms (Si), oxygen atoms O It is possible to use a mixed mixture of a raw material gas having three constituent atoms: and hydrogen atoms (H). Also, separately, silicon atoms (Si) and hydrogen atoms (H)
A raw material gas having O as a constituent atom may be mixed with a raw material gas having O as a constituent atom. Specifically, starting materials for introducing oxygen atoms include, for example, oxygen (O ₂ ), ozone (O ₃ ), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ), and nitrogen monooxide (N ₂ O ), nitrogen sesquioxide (N ₂ O ₃ ), nitrogen tetroxide (N ₂ O ₄ ), nitrogen pentoxide (N ₂ O ₅ ), nitrogen trioxide (NO ₃ ), silicon atom (Si) and oxygen atom O For example, lower siloxanes such as disiloxane (H ₃ SiOSiH ₃ ) and trisiloxane (H ₃ SiOSiH ₂ OSiH ₃ ) having a hydrogen atom (H) as a constituent atom can be mentioned. When a layer region is formed using a glow discharge method, B ₂ H ₆ and B ₄ H ₁₀ are effectively used in the present invention as starting materials for introducing group group atoms. , B ₅ H ₉ , B ₅ H ₁₁ , B ₆ H ₁₀ ,
Boron hydride such as B ₆ H ₁₂ , B ₆ H ₁₄ , BF ₃ , BCl ₃ ,
Examples include boron halides such as BBr ₃ . In addition, AlCl ₃ , GaCl ₃ , Ga(CH ₃ ) ₃ , InCl ₃ , TlCl ₃
etc. can also be mentioned. The content of group atoms introduced into the layer region containing group atoms is determined by the gas flow rate of the starting material for introducing group atoms introduced into the deposition chamber, the gas flow rate ratio, the discharge power, the support temperature, It can be arbitrarily controlled by controlling the pressure in the deposition chamber, etc. To form the layer region O containing oxygen atoms by the sputtering method, a single crystal or polycrystalline Si wafer or a SiO ₂ wafer, or a Si and
The sputtering may be carried out by targeting wafers containing a mixture of SiO ₂ and sputtering them in various gas atmospheres. For example, if a Si wafer is used as a target, oxygen atoms and optionally hydrogen atoms or/
The raw material gas for introducing halogen atoms is diluted with a diluent gas as necessary and introduced into a deposition chamber for sputtering, and a gas plasma of these gases is formed to sputter the Si wafer. All you have to do is ring it. Alternatively, Si and SiO ₂ may be used as separate targets or by using a single mixed target of Si and SiO ₂ in an atmosphere of diluent gas as a sputtering gas or at least This is accomplished by sputtering in a gas atmosphere containing hydrogen atoms (H) and/or halogen atoms (X) as constituent atoms. As the raw material gas for introducing oxygen atoms, the raw material gas for introducing oxygen atoms among the raw material gases shown in the glow discharge example described above can be used as an effective gas also in the case of sputtering. In the present invention, a so-called rare gas is used as a diluting gas used when forming an amorphous layer by a glow discharge method, or a sputtering gas used when forming an amorphous layer by a sputtering method. gas, e.g.
Preferred examples include He, Ne, Ar, and the like. In the photoconductive member of the present invention, the second amorphous layer provided on the first amorphous layer is an amorphous material [a −(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y , where 0<x, y<
1], each of the amorphous materials forming the first amorphous layer and the second amorphous layer that constitute the amorphous layer have a common constituent element of silicon atoms. Therefore, chemical stability is sufficiently ensured at the laminated interface. The second amorphous layer composed of a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y can be formed by a glow discharge method, a sputtering method, an ion implantation method, an ion plating method, This is done by an electron beam method or the like. These manufacturing methods are selected and adopted as appropriate depending on factors such as manufacturing conditions, amount of equipment capital investment, manufacturing scale, and desired characteristics of the photoconductive member to be manufactured. Advantages include that it is relatively easy to control the manufacturing conditions for manufacturing a photoconductive member having silicon atoms, and that it is easy to introduce carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms together with silicon atoms into the second amorphous layer to be created. Therefore, a glow discharge method or a sputtering method is preferably employed. Furthermore, in the present invention, the second amorphous layer may be formed by using a glow discharge method and a sputtering method in the same apparatus system. To form the second amorphous layer by the glow discharge method, the raw material gas for forming a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y is mixed with dilution gas in a predetermined amount as necessary. The mixed gas is mixed at a mixing ratio of 1, and introduced into a deposition chamber for vacuum deposition in which a support is installed, and the introduced gas is turned into gas plasma by generating a glow discharge to remove the gas already formed on the support. On some first amorphous layer a-
(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y may be deposited. In the present invention, at least one of Si, C, and H is used as the raw material gas for forming a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y.
Most gaseous substances or gasified substances having two constituent atoms can be used. When using a raw material gas with Si as a constituent atom as one of Si, C, and H, for example, a raw material gas with Si as a constituent atom, a raw material gas with C as a constituent atom, and a raw material gas with H as a constituent atom. Alternatively, a raw material gas containing Si as a constituent atom and a raw material gas containing C and H as constituent atoms may be mixed at a desired mixing ratio. Mix or
Alternatively, a raw material gas containing Si as a constituent atom and Si, C
It is possible to use a mixture of a raw material gas having three constituent atoms: and H. Alternatively, a raw material gas containing Si and H as constituent atoms may be mixed with a raw material gas containing C as constituent atoms. In the present invention, gases effectively used as raw material gases for forming the second amorphous layer include Si ₂ H ₆ , Si ₃ H ₈ , SiH ₄ , Si Silicon hydride _{gas such as silanes such as 4H10 ,} saturated hydrocarbons containing C and H as constituent atoms, for example, having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, ethylene hydrocarbons having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, carbon Examples include a few acetylene hydrocarbons. Specifically, saturated hydrocarbons include methane (CH ₄ ), ethane (C ₂ H ₆ ), propane (CH ₈ ), n
-Butane (n-C ₄ H ₁₀ ), pentane (C ₅ H ₁₂ ), ethylene hydrocarbons include ethylene (C ₂ H ₄ ),
Propylene (C ₃ H ₆ ), butene-1 (C ₄ H ₈ ), butene-2 (C ₄ H ₈ ), isobutylene (C ₄ H ₈ ), pentene (C ₅ H ₁₀ ), acetylenic hydrocarbons ,
Examples include acetylene (C ₂ H ₂ ), methylacetylene (C ₃ H ₄ ), butyne (C ₄ H ₆ ), and the like. Examples of the source gas containing Si, C, and H as constituent atoms include alkyl silicides such as Si(CH ₃ ) ₄ and Si(C ₂ H ₅ ) ₄ . In addition to these raw material gases, H
Of course, H ₂ is also effectively used as the raw material gas for introduction. To form the second amorphous layer by the sputtering method, target a single crystal or polycrystalline Si wafer, a C wafer, or a wafer containing a mixture of Si and C. This can be done by sputtering in various gas atmospheres. For example, if a Si wafer is used as a target, the raw material gases for introducing C and H are diluted with diluting gas as necessary and introduced into a deposition chamber for sputtering. The Si wafer may be sputtered by forming plasma. Alternatively, sputtering can be carried out in a gas atmosphere containing at least hydrogen atoms by using separate targets for Si and C or by using a single target in which Si and C are mixed. It is accomplished by doing so. As the raw material gas for introducing C or H, the raw material gas shown in the glow discharge example described above can be used as an effective gas also in the case of sputtering. In the present invention, the diluent gas used when forming the second amorphous layer by a glow discharge method or a sputtering method is a so-called rare gas, e.g.
Preferred examples include He, Ne, Ar, and the like. The second amorphous layer in the present invention is carefully formed to provide the desired properties. In other words, materials whose constituent atoms are Si, C, and H can have structural forms ranging from crystalline to amorphous depending on the conditions of their creation, and electrical properties ranging from conductive to semiconductive to insulating. and the properties between photoconductive and non-photoconductive properties,
Accordingly, in the present invention, the preparation conditions are strictly selected according to the needs so that a-Si _x C _1-x having the desired characteristics depending on the purpose is formed. . For example, in order to provide the second amorphous layer with the main purpose of improving voltage resistance, a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y has electrically insulating behavior under the usage conditions. Created as a distinctly amorphous material. In addition, when a second amorphous layer is provided for the main purpose of improving the characteristics of continuous repeated use and the characteristics of the usage environment, the above-mentioned degree of electrical insulation is relaxed to a certain extent, and it resists the irradiated light to a certain extent. A-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y is created as an amorphous material having a sensitivity of . a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y on the surface of the first amorphous layer
The temperature of the support during layer formation is an important factor that influences the structure and properties of the formed layer. a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y which has the property of
It is desirable that the temperature of the support during formation of the layer be tightly controlled so that the layer can be formed as desired. In order to effectively achieve the purpose of the present invention, the optimum range of support temperature when forming the second amorphous layer is selected as appropriate in accordance with the method of forming the second amorphous layer. The second amorphous layer is formed at a temperature of 100°C to 300°C, preferably 150°C to 250°C. The glow discharge method is used to form the second amorphous layer because it is relatively easy to finely control the composition ratio of the atoms that make up the layer and control the layer thickness compared to other methods. However, when forming the second amorphous layer using these layer forming methods, the discharge power during layer formation, as well as the support temperature described above, Gas pressure is created a−(Si _x
C _1-x ) _y It is one of the important factors that influences the characteristics of H _1-y . The discharge power conditions for effectively producing a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y with good productivity, which have the characteristics to achieve the purpose of the present invention, are usually as follows: Ten
~300W, preferably 20~200W. It is desirable that the gas pressure in the deposition chamber is usually about 0.01 to 1 Torr, preferably about 0.1 to 0.5 Torr. In the present invention, the support temperature and discharge power for forming the second amorphous layer are preferably within the ranges described above, but these layer forming factors are independent of each other. The desired characteristics a−(Si _x C _1-x ) _y
It is desirable that the optimum value of each layer formation factor be determined based on the mutual organic relationship so that a second amorphous layer consisting of H _1-y is formed. The amounts of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms contained in the second amorphous layer in the photoconductive member of the present invention are determined as desired to achieve the object of the present invention, as well as the production conditions of the second amorphous layer. This is an important factor in the formation of the second amorphous layer, which provides the following properties. The amount of carbon atoms contained in the second amorphous layer in the present invention is usually 1×10 ^-3 to 90 atomic%, preferably 1 to 90 atomic%, and optimally 10
It is desirable that it be ~80 atomic%.
The content of hydrogen atoms is usually 1 to 1.
It is desirable that the hydrogen content be 40 atomic%, preferably 2 to 35 atomic%, optimally 5 to 30 atomic%, and the photoconductive member formed when the hydrogen content is in this range has excellent properties in practice. It can be fully applied as a standard. That is, if expressed as a-(Si _x C _1-x ) _y H _1-y , x is usually 0.1≦x≦0.99999, preferably
0.1≦x≦0.99, optimally 0.15≦x≦0.9, y usually 0.6≦y≦0.99, preferably 0.65≦y≦
0.98, optimally 0.7≦y≦0.95. The numerical range of the layer thickness of the second amorphous layer in the present invention is one of the important factors for effectively achieving the object of the present invention. The numerical range of the layer thickness of the second amorphous layer in the present invention is appropriately determined according to the desired purpose so as to effectively achieve the purpose of the present invention. The thickness of the second amorphous layer also depends on the amount of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms contained in the layer, the thickness of the first amorphous layer, etc. It needs to be appropriately determined as desired based on the organic relationship depending on the characteristics required for the layer region. In addition, it is desirable to take into consideration economic efficiency, which takes into account productivity and mass production. The thickness of the second amorphous layer in the present invention is usually 0.003 to 30μ, preferably 0.004 to 20μ, and most preferably 0.005 to 10μ. The support used in the present invention may be electrically conductive or electrically insulating. Examples of the conductive support include NiCr, stainless steel, Al,
Examples include metals such as Cr, Mo, Au, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt, and Pd, and alloys thereof. As the electrically insulating support, films or sheets of synthetic resins such as polyester, polyethylene, polycarbonate, cellulose, acetate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyamide, glass, ceramic, paper, etc. are usually used. Ru. Preferably, at least one surface of these electrically insulating supports is subjected to a conductive treatment, and another layer is preferably provided on the conductive treated surface side. For example, if it is glass, NiCr,
Al, Cr, Mo, Au, Ir, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt,
Conductivity can be imparted by providing a thin film made of Pd, In ₂ O ₃ , SnO 2 _, ITO (In ₂ O ₃ +SnO ₂ ), etc., or if it is a synthetic resin film such as polyester film, NiCr, Al ,Ag,Pb,Zn,Ni,
A thin film of metal such as Au, Cr, Mo, Ir, Nb, Ta, V, Ti, Pt, etc. is provided on the surface by vacuum evaporation, electron beam evaporation, sputtering, etc., or the surface is laminated with the above metal. This imparts conductivity to the surface. The shape of the support body is cylindrical,
The photoconductive member 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be used as an image forming member for electrophotography, for example, if the photoconductive member 100 of FIG. 1 is used as an electrophotographic image forming member. In the case of copying, it is desirable to have an endless belt shape or a cylindrical shape. The thickness of the support is determined appropriately so that a desired photoconductive member is formed, but if flexibility is required as a photoconductive member, the support can sufficiently function as a support. It is made as thin as possible within this range. However, in such cases, the thickness is usually 10μ or more in view of manufacturing and handling of the support, mechanical strength, etc. Next, an outline of an example of the method for manufacturing a photoconductive member of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 11 shows an example of a photoconductive member manufacturing apparatus. Gas cylinders 1102, 1103, and 1104 in the figure are sealed with raw material gases for forming the respective layers of the present invention. As an example, 1102 is SiH ₄ gas (purity
99.999%, hereinafter abbreviated as SiH ₄ /He. ) cylinder, 11
03 is B ₂ H ₆ gas diluted with He (purity 99.999
%, hereinafter abbreviated as B ₂ H ₆ /He. ) cylinder, 1104
is C ₂ H ₄ gas (99.99% purity) cylinder, 1105 is
NO gas (99.999% purity) cylinder, 1106 is He
SiF ₄ gas diluted with (purity 99.999% or less)
Abbreviated as SiF ₄ /He. ) It is a cylinder. In order to flow these gases into the reaction chamber 1101, valves 112 of gas cylinders 1102 to 1106 are used.
Check that the leak valves 2 to 1126 and the leak valve 1135 are closed, and also check that the inflow valve 111
2 to 1116, outflow valves 1117 to 1121,
After confirming that the auxiliary valves 1132 and 1133 are open, first open the main valve 1134 to exhaust the reaction chamber 1101 and gas piping.
Next, when the reading on the vacuum gauge 1136 reaches approximately 5×10 ^-6 torr, the auxiliary valves 1132 and 1133 and the outflow valves 1117 to 1121 are closed. Thereafter, a desired gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 1101 by operating the valve of the gas pipe connected to the cylinder of the gas to be introduced into the reaction chamber 1101 as prescribed. Next, an outline of an example of producing the photoconductive member of the present invention will be described. From gas cylinder 1102
SiH ₄ /He gas from gas cylinder 1103
B ₂ H ₆ /He gas from gas cylinder 1105
Gas is supplied through valves 1122, 1123, and 112, respectively.
5 and outlet pressure gauges 1127, 1128, 1
Adjust the pressure of 130 to 1Kg/cm ² and open the inflow valve 11.
12, 1113, 1115 gradually, and the mass flow controllers 1107, 1108, 111
0. Subsequently, the outflow valve 111
7, 1118, 1120, the auxiliary valves 1132 are gradually opened to allow the respective gases to flow into the reaction chamber 1101. SiH ₄ /He gas flow rate and B ₂ H ₆ /
Outflow valves 1117, 1118, 11 so that the ratio of He gas flow rate to NO gas flow rate becomes the desired value.
20, and the opening of the main valve 1134 while checking the reading on the vacuum gauge 1136 so that the pressure inside the reaction chamber 1101 reaches the desired value. After confirming that the temperature of the cylindrical base 1137 is set to a temperature in the range of 50 to 400°C by the heating heater 1138, the power supply 1137
0 to a desired power to generate a glow discharge in the reaction chamber 1101, and at the same time, the flow rate of NO gas is controlled manually or by an external drive motor or the like at the valve 1120 according to a pre-designed rate of change curve. Layer regions B and O are formed by controlling the concentration of boron atoms contained in the formed layer by performing an operation of gradually changing the concentration of boron atoms. Since the valve 1120 is completely closed at the time when layer regions B and O are formed, the subsequent layer formation is performed using B ₂ H ₆ /He gas and SiH ₄ /
This is carried out using only He gas, and as a result, layer region B is formed on layer regions B and O with a desired layer thickness,
Formation of the first amorphous layer is completed. In the above manner, the amorphous layer has a desired distribution concentration (depth) of the group atoms and oxygen atoms contained therein.
profile) to the desired layer thickness,
The outflow valves 1117 and 1118 are once completely closed, and the discharge is also interrupted. In addition to SiH ₄ gas, Si ₂ H ₆ gas is particularly effective as the raw material gas used in forming the amorphous layer in order to improve the layer formation rate. When containing halogen atoms in the first amorphous layer, for example, SiF ₄ /He is added to the above gas,
Further, it is added and sent into the reaction chamber 1101. To form an amorphous layer on an amorphous layer, the B ₂ H ₆ /He gas and
Layer formation is performed using C ₂ H ₄ gas instead of NO gas. It goes without saying that all outflow valves for gases other than those required for forming each layer are closed, and
When forming each layer, the gas used to form the previous layer is released into the reaction chamber 1101 and the outflow valves 1117 to 1.
121 to the reaction chamber 1101, the outflow valves 1117 to
1121, open the auxiliary valve 1132, and fully open the main valve 1134 to temporarily evacuate the system to a high vacuum, as necessary. During layer formation, the base 1137 is rotated at a constant speed by a motor 1139 in order to ensure uniform layer formation. Example 1 Using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.
An imaging member having an oxygen concentration distribution within the layer region as shown in FIG. 12 was prepared under the conditions shown in Table 1. The image forming member thus obtained was placed in a charging exposure experimental device, corona charged at 5.0 KV for 0.2 seconds, and a light image was immediately irradiated using a tungsten lamp light source, transmitting a light amount of 1.5 lux・sec. It was irradiated through a mold test chart. Immediately thereafter, a good toner image was obtained on the surface of the member by cascading a charged developer (including toner and carrier) over the surface of the member. When the toner image on the member was transferred onto transfer paper using 5.0KV corona charging, a clear, high-density image with excellent resolution and good gradation reproducibility was obtained.

[Table] Example 2 Using the manufacturing equipment shown in Fig. 11, the first and second
An imaging member having an oxygen concentration distribution as shown in FIG. 13 within the layer region was prepared under the conditions shown in Table 2. Other conditions were the same as in Example 1. When an image was formed on a transfer paper using the image forming member thus obtained under the same conditions and procedures as in Example 1, an extremely clear image quality was obtained.

[Table] Example 3 Using the manufacturing equipment shown in Fig. 11, the first and second
An imaging member having an oxygen concentration distribution as shown in FIG. 14 within the layer region was prepared under the conditions shown in Table 3. Other conditions were the same as in Example 1. When an image was formed on a transfer paper using the image forming member thus obtained under the same conditions and procedures as in Example 1, an extremely clear image quality was obtained.

[Table] Example 4 When forming an amorphous layer, changing the flow rate ratio of SiH ₄ gas and C ₂ H ₄ gas to change the content ratio of silicon atoms and carbon atoms in the amorphous layer Layer formation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except for this. After repeating the steps up to transfer approximately 50,000 times using the method described in Example 1 for the photosensitive drum thus obtained, image evaluation was performed, and the results shown in Table 4 were obtained.

[Table] ◎: Very good ○: Good ×: Slight image defects Example 5 The same method as Example 1 was used except that the thickness of the amorphous layer was changed as shown in the table below. Layer formation was performed. The evaluation results are shown in the table below.

[Table] Example 6 Layers were formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the method of forming the first and second layer regions was changed as shown in the table below, and the image quality was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. ,
Good results were obtained.

[Table] Example 7 Using the manufacturing equipment shown in Fig. 11, the first and second
An imaging member having an oxygen concentration distribution as shown in FIG. 15 within the layer region was prepared under the conditions shown in Table 7. Other conditions were the same as in Example 1. When an image was formed on a transfer paper using the image forming member thus obtained under the same conditions and procedures as in Example 1, an extremely clear image quality was obtained.

【table】 [Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining one preferred example of the structure of the photoconductive member of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 10 respectively show an amorphous photoconductive member of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating the distribution concentration of oxygen atoms in the layer region O constituting the quality layer, and FIG. 12 to 15 are explanatory diagrams showing the distribution concentration of oxygen atoms in the layer region O in the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. 100...Photoconductive member, 101...Support, 102
...first amorphous layer, 103...first layer region O,
104...Second layer region, 105...Layer region, 10
6... Second amorphous layer, 107... Free surface.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A support for a photoconductive member for electrophotography, a first amorphous layer that is composed of an amorphous material having silicon atoms as a matrix and exhibits photoconductivity, silicon atoms, and 1. ×
10 ^-3 A photoconductive member for electrophotography comprising a second amorphous layer made of an amorphous material comprising 90 atomic% of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms, the amorphous layer comprising a non-crystalline material. a first layer region with a layer thickness of 1 to 100 μm that constitutes the entire layer region of the crystalline layer and contains oxygen atoms;
Constituent atoms are continuously distributed in the layer thickness direction.
a second layer region containing 0.01 to 5×10 ⁴ atomic ppm of atoms belonging to group of the periodic table, forming a part of the amorphous layer, and having a layer thickness of 30 Å to 5 μ and bonded to the support; The distribution state of the oxygen atoms is determined by the distribution concentration of the oxygen atoms on the support side.
The amorphous layer is characterized by having a non-uniform and continuous distribution state in the layer thickness direction, which has a high portion of 10 atomic% or more and has a portion that is considerably lower on the free surface side of the amorphous layer than on the support side. A photoconductive member for electrophotography. 2. The photoconductive member for electrophotography according to claim 1, wherein the distribution state of atoms belonging to Group 3 of the periodic table is uniform in the layer thickness direction.