Photoconductive member having barrier and depletion layers

TLDR: In this paper, a barrier layer is constructed between the barrier and the substrate in such a thickness that, in order to inhibit injection of the photo-carriers having the same polarity as that of minority carriers in the barrier layer from the substrate side to the photoconductive layer, the probability of the carrier reaching the depletion layer region from a substrate side may be substantially neglected.

Abstract: A photoconductive member which is stable in its electrical and optical characteristics, not influenced by circumstances for its use, and possesses extremely high sensitivity to light, remarkably high anti-photo-fatigue property, and deterioration-resistant against repeated use, the photoconductive member comprising a substrate; a photoconductive layer; a barrier layer between the substrate and the photoconductive layer, and having a function of substantially inhibiting injection of carriers from the substrate side to the photoconductive layer; and a depletion layer region formed in the interfacial region of the photoconductive layer and the barrier layer, wherein the photoconductive layer and the barrier layer are made of an amorphous material with silicon as a matrix and hydrogen as a constituent atom, a part of the barrier layer is present between the depletion layer region and the substrate in such a thickness that, in order to inhibit injection of the carriers having the same polarity as that of minority carriers in the barrier layer from the substrate side to the photoconductive layer, probability of the carrier reaching the depletion layer region from the substrate side may be substantially neglected, and the photocarriers in the photoconductive layer having the same polarity as that of majority carriers in the barrier layer, among the photo-carriers to be generated in the photoconductive layer by irradiation of electromagnetic waves, are caused to move in the direction of the barrier layer.