Abstract: A method of processing a wafer includes a composite substrate forming step of joining a face side of a wafer and a surface of a support substrate to each other with a joint member interposed therebetween, a grinding step of grinding a reverse side of the wafer of the composite substrate to thin down the wafer to a finished thickness, a transfer member affixing step of affixing a transfer member to the reverse side of the wafer, a joint member breaking step of breaking the joint member by applying a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the support substrate and absorbable by the joint member to the composite substrate from another surface side of the support substrate, and a transferring step of peeling off the support substrate from the wafer and transferring the wafer to the transfer member.

Abstract: First and second dielectric portions and colored particles have ?polarity, and a regulating portion and an externally added particles have +polarity. In a triboelectric series,(?)<second dielectric portion<first dielectric portion<regulating portion (+) and (?) colored particles<second dielectric portion<first dielectric portion<externally added particles (+). With work functions, the difference between the colored particles and the second dielectric portion<the difference between the second dielectric portion and the externally added particles, the difference between the colored particles and the first dielectric portion<the difference between the first dielectric portion and the externally added particles, and the difference between the colored particles and the regulating portion>the difference between the regulating portion and the externally added particles.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer bearing member that bears a developer on its surface to supply the developer to an image bearing member having a first dielectric portion and a second dielectric portion in its surface, a regulating member that regulates a thickness of a layer of the developer carried by the developer bearing member, and a flexible sheet-like charging auxiliary member disposed so as to be in contact with the developer bearing member at a position downstream of a contact portion between the developer bearing member and the image bearing member and upstream of a contact portion between the developer bearing member and the regulating member in a rotational direction of the developer bearing member, where the charging auxiliary member charges the developer carried by the developer bearing member. In a triboelectric series, the charging auxiliary member is positioned between the first and second dielectric portions.

Abstract: In a developing assembly, the surface of a developer bearing member on which a developer is borne is provided with a first dielectric portion and a second dielectric portion. A regulating portion that regulates the layer thickness of the developer borne on the developer bearing member, the first dielectric portion, and the second dielectric portion each have a charge polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the developer. In a triboelectric series, one of the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion is positioned between the developer and the other dielectric portion, and the other dielectric portion is positioned between the one of the dielectric portions and the regulating portion.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing agent bearing member and a regulating member. The developing agent bearing member bears on a surface thereof a developing agent including colored particles and additive particles disposed on the surface of the colored particles. The surface of the developing agent bearing member includes first and second dielectric portions. The regulating member regulates the thickness of a layer of developing agent borne by the developing agent bearing member. In triboelectric series, the first dielectric portion is between the regulating member and the additive particles, the additive particles are between the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion, and the second dielectric portion is between the additive particles and the colored particles. The difference between the work functions of the colored particles and second dielectric portion is smaller than that between the second dielectric portion and additive particles.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which includes a development device that has no developer supply member and with which the decrease in density at a back end of a solid image and occurrence of ghosting are suppressed. A development roller having dielectric portions scattered on a surface thereof is provided and components are configured so that the position of the dielectric portions in a triboelectric series is on the same polarity side, relative to a regulating blade, as the normal charge polarity of the toner.

Abstract: First and second dielectric portions and colored particles have ? polarity, and a regulating portion and an externally added particles have + polarity; concerning triboelectric series, (?)<second dielectric portion<first dielectric portion<regulating portion (+) and (?) colored particles<second dielectric portion<first dielectric portion<externally added particles (+); and concerning work functions, the difference between the colored particles and the second dielectric portion<the difference between the second dielectric portion and the externally added particles, the difference between the colored particles and the first dielectric portion<the difference between the first dielectric portion and the externally added particles, and the difference between the colored particles and the regulating portion>the difference between the regulating portion and the externally added particles.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer bearing member that bears a developer on its surface to supply the developer to an image bearing member having a first dielectric portion and a second dielectric portion in its surface, a regulating member that regulates a thickness of a layer of the developer carried by the developer bearing member, and a flexible sheet-like charging auxiliary member disposed so as to be in contact with the developer bearing member at a position downstream of a contact portion between the developer bearing member and the image bearing member and upstream of a contact portion between the developer bearing member and the regulating member in a rotational direction of the developer bearing member, where the charging auxiliary member charges the developer carried by the developer bearing member. In a triboelectric series, the charging auxiliary member is positioned between the first and second dielectric portions.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing agent bearing member and a regulating member. The developing agent bearing member bears on a surface thereof a developing agent including colored particles and additive particles disposed on the surface of the colored particles. The surface of the developing agent bearing member includes first and second dielectric portions. The regulating member regulates the thickness of a layer of developing agent borne by the developing agent bearing member. In triboelectric series, the first dielectric portion is between the regulating member and the additive particles, the additive particles are between the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion, and the second dielectric portion is between the additive particles and the colored particles. The difference between the work functions of the colored particles and second dielectric portion is smaller than that between the second dielectric portion and additive particles.

Abstract: In a developing assembly, the surface of a developer bearing member on which a developer is borne is provided with a first dielectric portion and a second dielectric portion. A regulating portion that regulates the layer thickness of the developer borne on the developer bearing member, the first dielectric portion, and the second dielectric portion each have a charge polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the developer. In a triboelectric series, one of the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion is positioned between the developer and the other dielectric portion, and the other dielectric portion is positioned between the one of the dielectric portions and the regulating portion.

Abstract: A toner supplying roller which is used in a developing apparatus and has the following characteristics: (1) an average diameter of a foam cell opening portion on a surface of a foam elastic member is 100 to 800 ?m, (2) an unopened cell closed by a skin layer of a film thickness of 50 ?m or less is present in the surface of the foam elastic member, and (3) assuming that a surface area of the foam elastic member is A, a total area of the foam cell opening portions is B, and a surface area of the unopened cell is C, the following relationship is satisfied: B A + 0.2 ? B + C A ? 0.95 .

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging member for being supplied with a charging voltage which is a DC voltage not having an AC voltage component and for contacting the bearing member to electrically charge a surface of the bearing member using an electric discharge; a transfer member for transferring onto a transfer material a toner image formed on the surface of the bearing member by developing the electrostatic latent image, at a transfer position; wherein the charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region, and wherein the transfer member is not supplied with a voltage when the second region is at the transfer position, where the first region is a region on the image b

Abstract: A toner supplying roller which is used in a developing apparatus and has the following characteristics: (1) an average diameter of a foam cell opening portion on a surface of a foam elastic member is 100 to 800 ?m, (2) an unopened cell closed by a skin layer of a film thickness of 50 ?m or less is present in the surface of the foam elastic member, and (3) assuming that a surface area of the foam elastic member is A, a total area of the foam cell opening portions is B, and a surface area of the unopened cell is C, the following relationship is satisfied: B A + 0.2 ? B + C A ? 0.95 .

Abstract: A charging device for electrically charging an image bearing member, includes a contact charging member contactable to the image bearing member to charge the image bearing member, the contact charging member being supplied only with a DC voltage; and a contact member contacted to the charging member, wherein the image bearing member is adapted to carry a toner image of toner which contains an externally added material comprising silica, wherein work functions of the charging member, the contact member and the silica satisfy, (the work function of the contact member)>(the work function of the silica)>(the work function of the charging member).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member, and a transfer member. A charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region on the image bearing member with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region on the image bearing member with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region. A third region on the image bearing member, with the transfer member being supplied with a voltage to provide a predetermined potential difference between a potential of the third region before being charged by the charging member and a potential of the third region after being charged by the charging member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging member for being supplied with a charging voltage which is a DC voltage not having an AC voltage component and for contacting the bearing member to electrically charge a surface of the bearing member using an electric discharge; a transfer member for transferring onto a transfer material a toner image formed on the surface of the bearing member by developing the electrostatic latent image, at a transfer position; wherein the charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region, and wherein the transfer member is not supplied with a voltage when the second region is at the transfer position, where the first region is a region on the image b

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a cartridge is detachably mountable. The cartridge includes portion for accommodating a developer for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a roller for developing the electrostatic latent image with the developer, an opening for supplying the developer to the developing roller from the developer accommodating portion, and a sealing member for unsealably sealing the developer supply opening. The apparatus includes a detector for detecting that amount of the developer deposited on a member to be detected is less than a predetermined level, a retractor for producing an electric signal for retracting the sealing member from a sealing position where the sealing member seals the developer supply opening, when the detector detects that amount of the developer deposited on the member to be detected is less than the predetermined level.

Abstract: A developer regulation member includes developer regulation device for regulating an amount of developer carried on a developer carrying member. The developer regulation device includes a first regulation portion formed of a first material which has a Shore D hardness of not less than 70 degrees or is metal, and a second regulation portion which is disposed opposite to the developer carrying member and is formed of a material different from the first material for the first regulation portion. The second regulation portion has an edge which is in contact with the developer carrying member.

Abstract: A developing apparatus including: a developer carrying member for carrying a developer, the developer carrying member being provided with an elastic layer and adapted to develop, with a developer, an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member; wherein the developer includes a toner, the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of 100 or more but less than 130, the toner has a storage modulus G? (140° C.) at 140° C. of 2.0×103 dN/m2 or more but less than 2.0×104 dN/m2, the toner has a temperature, when the toner has a viscosity of 1.0×103 Pa·s in a flow tester temperature elevation method, of 115° C. or more but less than 130° C., and, in a surface roughness of the developer carrying member, a center-line mean roughness Ra, a ten-point mean roughness Rz and a mean spacing Sm of irregularities satisfy following relationships (1): 0.06 ? Rz / Sm ? 0.4 0.8 ? Ra ? 2.0 ? ? ( ? ? ? m ) } .

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, process cartridge, and storage medium, if an image forming stop factor occurs in a cartridge of a certain color, image forming using a cartridge of another color is enabled to increase the utilization efficiency and operability of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus has a plurality of detachable process cartridges including image carriers (photosensitive drums) on which latent images are to be formed and developing units which develop the latent images. When a replacement timing for at least one of the process cartridges has arrived, only the developing unit of the process cartridge whose replacement timing has not arrived is driven in accordance with the state of the cartridge whose replacement timing has arrived to perform image forming.