Solid-state image pickup device and method for driving the same

Abstract

In a solid-state image pickup device, third transfer electrodes are disposed in parallel to vertical transfer registers, and second transfer electrodes are disposed vertically to the vertical transfer registers. These transfer electrodes are also formed on the read-out gate portions to supply a driving voltage for reading out signal charges from photoelectric conversion elements. On the basis of the driving voltage applied to both the third and second transfer electrodes, the read-out of the signal charges to the vertical transfer registers is carried out. At the portion where the read-out of the signal charges is carried out, the transfer electrode at the read-out gate portion side and the sensor area of the photoelectric conversion element are formed so as to be adjacent to each other. At the portion where no read-out of signal charges is carried out, an offset area is provided between the transfer electrode at the read-out gate portion side and the sensor area of the photoelectric conversion element.

1 - 4 . (canceled)  
   
   
       5 . A method of driving a sold-state image pickup device comprising a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements, gate portions for reading out signal charges photoelectrically-converted in the plural photoelectric conversion elements, plural vertical transfer registers for transferring the signal charges read out by the gate portions in the vertical direction, and first and second transfer electrodes on the vertical transfer registers, wherein a first driving voltage for transferring the signal charges in the vertical direction is applied to the first and second transfer electrodes, and a second driving voltage for reading out the signal charges from the photoelectric conversion elements is applied to the first and second transfer electrodes, whereby the read-out operation of the signal charges which are photoelectrically-converted by the photoelectric conversion elements to the vertical transfer registers is carried out on the plural photoelectric conversion elements independently every column or/and every line by the driving voltages applied to both the first and second transfer electrodes.