Image forming method, image forming apparatus, process cartridge and photoconductor

摘要

An image forming method wherein a surface of a photoconductor having a photoconductive layer provided on a conductive support is scanned at least along a main scanning direction of the photoconductor with a writing light beam having a wavelength of lambda mum and a spot diameter phi mum to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. The surface of the photoconductor has such a roughness that the sectional curve thereof along the main scanning direction is represented by a function y=f(x) when the main scanning direction and the direction of the vertical height are assumed to be the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively. The maximum height of the sectional curve in a region from an arbitral position x on the X-axis to a position (x+phi) on the X-axis is at least lambda/2n mum where n is a refractive index of the photoconductive layer at the wavelength of the light beam.