Patent ID: 8445168

Claim:
An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a photoconductive layer, an intermediate layer made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide on the photoconductive layer, and a surface layer made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide on the intermediate layer, wherein, in the surface layer, a ratio (C/(Si+C); C2) of the number of carbon atoms (C) to a sum of the number of silicon atoms (Si) and the number of carbon atoms (C) is between 0.61 and 0.75, both inclusive, and a sum (D2) of atom density of silicon atoms and atom density of carbon atoms is 6.60×10 22 atoms/cm 3 or more; in the intermediate layer, a ratio (C/(Si+C); C1) of the number of carbon atoms (C) to a sum of the number of silicon atoms (Si) and the number of carbon atoms (C) as well as a sum (D1) of atom density of silicon atoms and atom density of carbon atoms increase continuously from the side of the photoconductive layer toward the side of the surface layer without exceeding C2 and D2, respectively; and the intermediate layer has a region in which C1 is equal to or larger than 0.25, but not larger than C2, and D1 is between 5.50×10 22 atoms/cm 3 and 6.45×10 22 atoms/cm 3 , both inclusive, the region being 150 nm or larger in a layer thickness direction of the intermediate layer.