Abstract: For making it feasible to suit to vacuum processing utilizing a system consisting of an exhaust section and a separable vacuum processing vessel section, to ensure flexibility of production, to prevent dust from attaching onto an article, so as to achieve increase in non-defective percentage of vacuum-processed articles, and also to suppress variability in vacuum processing characteristics among lots, an article is loaded into a movable vacuum processing vessel section, the vacuum processing vessel section is preliminarily pressure-reduced and moved, the vacuum processing vessel section is connected to an exhaust section, and communication is established between the vacuum processing vessel section and the exhaust section to perform vacuum processing. A first opening provided in the vacuum processing vessel section is connected to a second opening provided in the exhaust section and a vacuum seal valve of the first opening which is openable and closable, is opened.

Abstract: In an image-forming apparatus having at least i) an electrophotographic photosensitive member having at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer on a conductive substrate, ii) a developing means having a toner, and iii) a charging means, the photoconductive layer comprises a non-single-crystal material composed chiefly of silicon, the surface layer comprises a non-single-crystal carbon film containing at least hydrogen and has a dynamic hardness in the range of from 4.90×109 to 1.76×1010 Pa (500 to 1,800 kgf/mm2), the charging means has a charging member kept in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, forming a contact zone therewith, charges the electrophotographic photosensitive member electrostatically upon application of a voltage, and the toner is a magnetic toner having toner particles containing at least a binder resin and a magnetic material, and an inorganic fine powder, having an average circularity of from 0.950 to 1.

Abstract: For enhancing plasma uniformity and long-term stability so as to readily form a film with excellent uniformity of thickness and quality and with good repeatability and for suppressing occurrence of image defects and drastically increasing the yield to form a deposited film ready for volume production, particularly, a functional deposit film (for example, an amorphous semiconductor used for semiconductor devices, electrophotographic photosensitive members, photovoltaic devices, and so on) is formed in an apparatus including a reaction vessel which can be hermetically evacuated, a substrate holder in the reaction vessel, a source gas supply, a power supply for high-frequency power. An end covering member is provided at an end of each of the substrate holder, the source gas supply and the power supply.

Abstract: In an image-forming apparatus having at least i) an electrophotographic photosensitive member having at least a photoconductive layer and a surface layer on a conductive substrate, ii) a developing means having a toner, and iii) a charging means, the photoconductive layer comprises a non-single-crystal material composed chiefly of silicon, the surface layer comprises a non-single-crystal carbon film containing at least hydrogen and has an arithmetic-mean roughness Ra ranging from 0 nm to 100 nm in an extent of 10 &mgr;m×10 &mgr;m of the surface layer, the charging mean is a magnetic-brush charging assembly or an elastic-roller charging assembly holding thereon a conductive fine powder, and the toner is a magnetic toner having toner particles containing at least a binder resin and a magnetic material, and an inorganic fine powder, having an average circularity of from 0.950 to 1.000, and having a saturation magnetization of from 10 to 50 Am2/kg (emu/g) under application of a magnetic field of 79.

Abstract: In a plasma treatment method of and apparatus for treating the surface of a treatment target substrate by utilizing glow discharge produced by supplying high-frequency power into an inside-evacuated reactor through a high-frequency power supply means, a plurality of impedance regulation means for regulating impedances on the side of the reactor and on the side of the high-frequency power supply means are provided correspondingly to the impedances of a plurality of reactors, and the high-frequency power is supplied into the reactors via the impedance regulation means corresponding to the reactors. Plasma treatment can be made in a good efficiency and a low cost on a plurality of reactors having different impedances.

Abstract: In order to make possible formation of a deposited film of a relatively large area at a treatment rate which could not accomplished by the plasma process of the prior art, and in order to make possible stable production of the deposited film without variation in film quality, in an apparatus and a method for forming a deposited film, a part of a reaction vessel is formed of a dielectric member, at least one high-frequency electrode is arranged so as to face at least one substrate with interposition of the dielectric member, an earth shield is arranged so as to cover the reaction vessel and the high-frequency electrode, plasma is generated between the high-frequency electrode and the substrate, and a deposited film is formed under the conditions in which the following equation:

Abstract: For making it feasible to suit to vacuum processing utilizing a system consisting of an exhaust section and a separable vacuum processing vessel section, to ensure flexibility of production, to prevent dust from attaching onto an article, so as to achieve increase in non-defective percentage of vacuum-processed articles, and also to suppress variability in vacuum processing characteristics among lots, an article is loaded into a movable vacuum processing vessel section, the vacuum processing vessel section is preliminarily pressure-reduced and moved, the vacuum processing vessel section is connected to an exhaust section, and communication is established between the vacuum processing vessel section and the exhaust section to perform vacuum processing. A first opening provided in the vacuum processing vessel section is connected to a second opening provided in the exhaust section and a vacuum seal valve of the first opening which is openable and closable, is opened.

Abstract: For permitting increase in productivity and improvement in uniformity and reproducibility of characteristics of deposited films while maintaining good film characteristics, a plasma processing apparatus is constructed in such structure that a plurality of cylindrical substrates are set in a depressurizable reaction vessel and that a source gas supplied into the reaction vessel is decomposed by a high frequency power introduced from a high frequency power introducing means to generate a plasma to permit deposited film formation, etching, or surface modification on the cylindrical substrates, wherein the plurality of cylindrical substrates are placed at equal intervals on the same circumference and wherein the high frequency power introducing means is provided outside the placing circumference for the cylindrical substrates.

Abstract: For enhancing plasma uniformity and long-term stability so as to readily form a film with excellent uniformity of thickness and quality and with good repeatability and for suppressing occurrence of image defects and drastically increasing the yield to form a deposited film ready for volume production, particularly, a functional deposit film (for example, an amorphous semiconductor used for semiconductor devices, electrophotographic photosensitive members, photovoltaic devices, and so on) is formed in an apparatus including a reaction vessel which can be hermetically evacuated, a substrate holder in the reaction vessel, a source gas supply, a power supply for high-frequency power. An end covering member is provided at an end of each of the substrate holder, the source gas supply and the power supply.

Abstract: A cleaning method for an electrophotographic photosensitive member that eliminate corrosion and cleaning irregularities of a substrate during cleaning, and a method of producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member which is easy to operate and capable of stably forming the photosensitive member at a low cost, in a high yield, and at a high speed. The cleaning method is a water-based cleaning method of cleaning a cylindrical substrate for an electrophotographic photosensitive member, using at least one selected from the group consisting of pure water, pure water having dissolved carbon dioxide, and pure water containing a surface active agent, wherein the cylindrical substrate is cleaned by a cleaning liquid ejected from a plurality of nozzles, and wherein those surfaces of the cleaning liquid ejected from the respective nozzles which are in contact with a surface of the cylindrical substrate do not interfere with each other, and the cleaning apparatus is arranged to carry out the cleaning method.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus and a vacuum processing method capable of effectively preventing film peeling generated in a reaction vessel to provide a deposited film of excellent quality with reduced spherical projections. The present invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus or method utilizing a vessel, means for supplying a gas into the vessel and means for supplying an electric power and in which the gas is decomposed by the electric power to generate a discharge, wherein the surface of a member confronted with the discharge satisfies the conditions of (1) the ten-point mean roughness Rz with respect to a reference length of 2.5 mm according to the JIS standard being in a range of not smaller than 5 &mgr;m and not larger than 200 &mgr;m, and (2) the mean spacing S of adjacent local peaks according to the JIS standard being in a range of not smaller than 5 &mgr;m and not larger than 100 &mgr;m.

Abstract: For permitting increase in productivity and improvement in uniformity and reproducibility of characteristics of deposited films while maintaining good film characteristics, a plasma processing apparatus is constructed in such structure that a plurality of cylindrical substrates are set in a depressurizable reaction vessel and that a source gas supplied into the reaction vessel is decomposed by a high frequency power introduced from a high frequency power introducing means to generate a plasma to permit deposited film formation, etching, or surface modification on the cylindrical substrates, wherein the plurality of cylindrical substrates are placed at equal intervals on the same circumference and wherein the high frequency power introducing means is provided outside the placing circumference for the cylindrical substrates.