Potential discharge kinetics of double-layer polymeric photoreceptors

The photoinduced potential discharge kinetics of double-layer photoreceptors containing a polymeric charge-transport layer and a charge-generating layer of amorphous selenium have been investigated as a function of the electric field and the photoinjected charge density. Under space-charge-limited conditions, the discharge kinetics agree with existing theories and can be explained on the basis of a field-dependent drift mobility. For partial injection, the discharge is characteristics of dispersive transport and cannot be described by conventional discharge theory. Under these conditions, transit times of the trailing edge of the photoinjected charge cannot be detected and the rate of potential discharge is determined by the field dependence of the drift mobility. The effects of the electric field and variations of the field dependence of the drift mobility are presented and discussed.