Abstract: A photovoltaic device comprises a semiconductor layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon for photoelectric conversion, in which the proportion of silicon atoms bonded to two hydrogen atoms to all the silicon atoms is not more than 1%.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member has a conductive substrate, a first layer structure with a single layer made mainly of amorphous silicon formed on the substrate, and a second layer structure including multiple layers also mainly made of amorphous silicon layered in succession on the first layer structure. The plurality of second layers includes at least two high resistance layers having a relatively high resistance value and at least one low resistance layer having a relatively low resistance value compared to the high resistance value. The layers of the second layer structure are layered alternately on the first layer structure so that the first and last layers in the second layer structure are high resistance layers.

Abstract: An electrostatic recording apparatus comprises a photosensitive drum, and this photosensitive drum includes a substrate composed of a conductive material and a photoconductive layer composed of amorphous silicon which is formed thereon. A resistor is connected between the conductive substrate and a reference potential. When a current flows through the photoconductive layer of the photosensitive drum, a bias voltage is produced by this resistor. The surface potential of the photoconductive layer is kept constant by the voltage of the photoconductive layer and the bias voltage, and accordingly, the voltage to be kept by the photoconductive layer itself can be small, and the amount of the current flowing into the photoconductive layer can be small. Preferably, a capacitor is connected in parallel with the resistor. This capacitor prevents the surface potential of the photoconductive layer from being affected by AC discharging of a separating corotron.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member has a conductive substrate, a first layer structure with a single layer made mainly of amorphous silicon formed on the substrate, and a second layer structure including multiple layers also mainly made of amorphous silicon layered in succession on the first layer structure. The plurality of second layers includes at least two high resistance layers having a relatively high resistance value and at least one low resistance layer having a relatively low resistance value compared to the high resistance value. The layers of the second layer structure are layered alternately on the first layer structure so that the first and last layers in the second layer structure are high resistance layers.