ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC MEMBER AND METHOD OF OPERATING AN ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC MEMBER

摘要

An electrophotographic member has an amorphous-silicon photoconductive layer (2) on a support (1). To reduce the residual potential of the photoconductive layer, the distance between (a) the region thereof at which the intensity of illuminating light is reduced by absorption therein to 1 % of the intensity at incidence and (b) the surface of the layer (2) opposite to the light incidence side thereof is at most 5 mu m. …??A region (25) of the photoconductive layer (2) which is at least 10 nm thick and extends inwardly of the layer (2) from the surface thereof for charge storage is made of amorphous silicon of optical forbidden band gap of at least 1.6 eV and resistivity of at least 1010 OMEGA .cm. Within the layer (2) there is a region (24) of amorphous silicon of optical forbidden band gap smaller than that of the surface region (25) and thickness at least 10 nm. This region (24) of the narrower optical forbidden band gap increases the sensitivity of the photoconductive layer to light of longer wavelengths.