Abstract: A pump system contains a pair of pumps each of which contains a vibration actuator vibrated by electromagnetic drive and can discharge fluid due to drive of the vibration actuator. The pump system has a vibration suppression mode in which the pair of the pumps are driven so that vibration of the vibration actuators of the pair of pumps is cancelled each other and a vibration generation mode in which the pair of the pumps are driven so that the vibration of the vibration actuators of the pair of pumps is superimposed with each other.

Abstract: A cup-type container obtained by compression-forming a thermoplastic resin and including at least a flange portion, a body portion and a bottom portion, wherein a ratio (L/D) of the height of the container to the diameter of the opening is not less than 1.0, and if the direction of height of a test piece cut out from the body portion of the container is denoted by x and the circumferential direction thereof by y, a half-value width P at a half peak of a Miller index at a diffraction angle 2?=14.5° that represents the diffraction by the crystal plane (110), is in a range of 1.25 to 1.5 over the whole body portion in a peak intensity profile in the direction of height (x-direction) of a Debye's ring obtained by measuring the diffraction intensities by causing the X-rays to be incident on an x-y plane of the test piece at right angles thereto.

Abstract: A container obtained by compression-forming a thermoplastic resin includes a flange portion, a body portion and a bottom portion. A ratio (L/D) of the height of the container to the diameter of the opening is not less than 1.0, and if the direction of height of a test piece cut out from the body portion of the container is denoted by x and the circumferential direction thereof by y, a half-value width P at a half peak of a Miller index at a diffraction angle 2?=14.5° that represents the diffraction by the crystal plane (110), is in a range of 1.25 to 1.5 over the whole body portion in a peak intensity profile in the direction of height (x-direction) of a Debye's ring obtained by measuring the diffraction intensities by causing the X-rays to be incident on an x-y plane of the test piece at right angles thereto.

Abstract: An image-forming method uses an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a surface layer formed of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide in which a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the sum of the number of silicon atoms and the number of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 0.61 or more and 0.75 or less, and the sum of the atomic density of the silicon atoms and the atomic density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.60×1022 atoms/cm3 or more, and the peak wavelength of pre-exposure light is shorter than the peak wavelength of image exposure light.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member having an a-SiC upper charge injection inhibition layer and an a-SiC surface layer, which is superior in adhesiveness, suppresses the surface deterioration, is superior in sensitivity characteristics and charging characteristics, and can keep an adequate image-forming capability for a long period of time. The upper charge injection inhibition layer contains 10 atom ppm or more and 30,000 atom ppm or less of the Group 13 atoms or the Group 15 atoms of the Periodic Table with respect to silicon atoms in the upper charge injection inhibition layer, and the ratio (C/(Si+C)) of the number of carbon atoms in the upper charge injection inhibition layer with respect to the sum of the number of silicon atoms and the number of the carbon atoms in the upper charge injection inhibition layer is 0.10 or more and 0.60 or less; and the sum of the atom density of the silicon atoms and the atom density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.

Abstract: An image-forming method is provided which enable high-quality images to be formed over a long time period. In the image-forming method, an electrophotographic photosensitive member is used having a surface layer formed of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide in which a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the sum of the number of silicon atoms and the number of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 0.61 or more and 0.75 or less, and the sum of the atomic density of the silicon atoms and the atomic density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.60×1022 atoms/cm3 or more, and the peak wavelength of pre-exposure light is shorter than the peak wavelength of image exposure light.

Abstract: A light-receiving member comprising a conductive substrate, and formed superposingly thereon a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer in order. The light-receiving member has a surface roughness Ra of from 15 nm to 100 nm. Also disclosed is an image-forming apparatus having such a light-receiving member, and an image-forming method of rendering visible an electrostatic pattern formed on the light-receiving member. The light-receiving member promises stable formation of images over a long period of time.

Abstract: A light-receiving member comprising a conductive substrate, and formed superposingly thereon a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer in order. The light-receiving member has a surface roughness Ra of from 15 nm to 100 nm. Also disclosed is an image-forming apparatus having such a light-receiving member, and an image-forming method of rendering visible an electrostatic pattern formed on the light-receiving member. The light-receiving member promises stable formation of images over a long period of time.

Abstract: In a plasma processing method for processing an object which is placed in a reactor container, by decomposing a raw material gas in the reactor container using a high frequency power outputted from a high power supply and introduced into the reactor container via a matching device and an electrode, the adjustment of impedance by the matching device during plasma processing is controlled within a predetermined impedance variable range, and the impedance variable range is changed as plasma processing proceeds. Another plasma processing method employing a plurality of power supply systems having high frequency power supplies and matching devices capable of changing impedances and controlling the adjustment of impedance by at least one of the matching devices during plasma processing within a predetermined impedance variable range.

Abstract: A light-receiving member comprising a conductive substrate, and formed superposingly thereon a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer in order. The light-receiving member has a surface roughness Ra of from 15 nm to 100 nm. Also disclosed is an image-forming apparatus having such a light-receiving member, and an image-forming method of rendering visible an electrostatic pattern formed on the light-receiving member. The light-receiving member promises stable formation of images over a long period of time.

Abstract: In a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a reactor and a vacuum pump connected to the reactor to draw up a gas held in the reactor, the vacuum pump comprising a diffusion pump and an auxiliary pump, the diffusion pump and the auxiliary pump are connected through an exhaust line and a cooling unit is provided in the exhaust line, whereby the gas is cooled by the cooling unit to liquefy or condense an oil smoke comprised of a diffusion pump oil contained in the gas, to cause the resultant oil to deposit in the exhaust the diffusion pump oil can be prevented from flowing into the auxiliary pump even when material gases fed in at a high rate are exhausted.

Abstract: A plasma process, which can fabricate a deposition film in short time and at low cost, which can fabricate a deposition film with excellent reproducibility, which can greatly decrease the cleaning time upon cleaning, and which is optimum for fabricating a deposit film, especially a photosensitive member for electrophotography, capable of achieving a high charge potential upon electrification and capable of obtaining clear images with less image defects, is arranged such that a raw-material gas comprising silicon is introduced into a deposition chamber while evacuating the deposition chamber capable of being kept airtight in a vacuum, the raw-material gas is decomposed by high-frequency power in the VHF band, film formation is carried out to form a deposit film on a substrate installed in the deposition chamber, and thereafter cleaning inside the deposition chamber is carried out by etching and removing a deposit film depositing inside the deposition chamber, using a gas containing at least fluorine and using

Abstract: As the surface layers of an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a first surface layer which satisfies a condition that a center line average surface roughness (Ra) ranges from 50 Å to 5000 Å and a second surface layer comprising a non-single-crystal carbon containing at least fluorine are laminated in this order. Thus, the generation of a defective image such as the dimness of an image or an image smearing can be suppressed under an environment of high temperature and high humidity without providing any heater even when an electrophotographic apparatus is repeatedly employed. Further, even when a toner of small particle size and excellent in its fixing characteristic is used, a cleaning characteristic can be improved and the fusion of the toner can be suppressed. Still further, even in an electrophotographic process with a frictional force raised for improving the cleaning characteristic, the cleaning characteristic can be improved and the fusion of the toner can be suppressed.

Abstract: A light-receiving member comprising a conductive substrate, and formed superposingly thereon a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer in order. The light-receiving member has a surface roughness Ra of from 15 nm to 100 nm. Also disclosed is an image-forming apparatus having such a light-receiving member, and an image-forming method of rendering visible an electrostatic pattern formed on the light-receiving member. The light-receiving member promises stable formation of images over a long period of time.

Abstract: There is provided a light-receiving member comprising a photoconductive layer provided on an electroconductive substrate, and a surface layer provided on the photoconductive layer, the surface layer comprising non-single-crystal carbon containing at least fluorine, wherein the surface layer has a ratio of the area of a peak having center in the vicinity of 1200 cm−1 or 1120 cm−1 in the infrared absorption spectrum to the area of a peak having center in the vicinity of 2920 cm−1 being in a range from 0.1 to 50. The light-receiving member allows to obtain a high-quality image without faint image or smeared image in any ambient conditions without use of heating means for the light-receiving member, and has high durability enough for maintaining such high quality characteristics. It can also prevent, by the absence of the heating means, the adhesion of low melting toners such as color toners and the unevenness in image density, generated at the rotating interval of the developer.

Abstract: In a reactor capable of reducing an internal pressure thereof, a non-single-crystalline material layer containing at least one kind of carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms or nitrogen atoms is formed and etched on a non-single-crystalline photoconductive layer mainly composed of silicon atoms, formed on a substrate, under application of a high-frequency power of 50 MHz to 450 MHz, and the formation and the etching are alternately repeated plural times to form a surface layer. A light-receiving member having such a surface layer does not damage cleaning performance over a long period of time, hardly allows adhesion of corona discharge products, and can be free from faint images, smeared images and uneven image density even if no heating means for the drum is provided.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and method uses an electrophotographic photosensitive member that includes a conductive substrate. The photosensitive member has a photoconductive layer thereon formed of a non-single-crystal material mainly composed of at least silicon atoms. Charging, exposure, development and cleaning in the image forming arrangement are repeated while the photosensitive member rotates. The dynamic frictional force (unit: gf) produced when the photosensitive member surface is cleaned by a cleaning blade to remove a developer remaining on that surface is so set that its standard deviation in its change with time is 2 gf or below per 1 gf/cm of linear pressure of the cleaning blade. No melt-adhesion of toner results and durability is high enough to stably obtain images of high quality.

Abstract: In a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a reactor and a vacuum pump connected to the reactor to draw up a gas held in the reactor, the vacuum pump comprising a diffusion pump and an auxiliary pump, the diffusion pump and the auxiliary pump are connected through an exhaust line and a cooling unit is provided in the exhaust line, where the gas is cooled by the cooling unit to liquefy or condense an oil smoke comprised of a diffusion pump oil contained in the gas, to cause the resultant oil to deposit in the exhaust line.

Abstract: For achieving satisfactory electrical characteristics and high image quality without peeling, damage or abrasion in a long use term the present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member which comprises, on a conductive substrate, a photoconductive layer composed of a non-single-crystalline material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, and a surface layer composed of non-single-crystalline carbon containing at least hydrogen, wherein the surface layer has a surface roughness Rz within a range from 500 Å to 2000 Å for a reference length of 5 &mgr;m and contains at least oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine and boron atoms.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic apparatus having a structure for scrape-cleaning a developer of an average particle diameter of 5 to 8 &mgr;m with an elastic rubber blade having a modulus of repulsion elasticity of not less than 10% nor more than 50%, by using a light receiving member having a surface layer comprised of a non-monocrystalline fluorinated carbon film in which the wear loss after copying steps of 10,000 A4-size transfer sheets is not less than 0.1 Å nor more than 100 Å, in which the dynamic hardness is within the range of 10 to 500 kgf/mm2, and in which the fluorine content is not less than 5 atomic % nor more than 50 atomic %, an electrophotographic apparatus is provided which can prevent scattering or fusion of a developer, uneven scraping of a surface layer and image smearing irrespective of the service environment conditions and also can prevent image smearing without provision of means for directly heating the light receiving member.