Charge transfer apparatus

A charge transfer apparatus comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate of one conductivity type;
• a well of a conductivity type opposite to the conductivity type of said semiconductor substrate that is formed in said semiconductor substrate;
• a charge transfer region of a conductivity type opposite to the conductivity type of said well that is formed in said well and joined to said well to form a diode;
• a signal charge input portion adapted to input a signal charge to the charge transfer region;
• a signal charge output portion adapted to accumulate the signal charge transferred from the charge transfer region;
• and
• a plurality of independent potential supply portions adapted to supply a potential gradient to said well,
• wherein the signal charge in the charge transfer region is transferred by the potential gradient formed by said plurality of potential supply portions.

An image pickup apparatus comprising:

• a semiconductor region of one conductivity type;
• photoelectric conversion portions two-dimensionally arrayed in the semiconductor region;
• charge transfer regions of a conductivity type opposite to the conductivity type of the semiconductor region that are interposed between respective columns of the photoelectric conversion portions and form junctions together with the semiconductor region;
• transfer electrodes adapted to transfer and inputting signal charges to the charge transfer regions;
• signal charge output portions adapted to accumulate the signal charges transferred from the charge transfer regions;
• and
• a plurality of independent potential supply portions adapted to supply a potential gradient to the semiconductor region,
• wherein the signal charges input to the charge transfer regions are transferred in a column direction by the potential gradient formed by said plurality of potential supply portions.

An image pickup apparatus comprising:

• a semiconductor region of one conductivity type;
• photoelectric conversion portions two-dimensionally arrayed in the semiconductor region;
• charge transfer regions of a conductivity type opposite to the conductivity type of the semiconductor region that are interposed between respective columns of the photoelectric conversion portions and form junctions together with the semiconductor region;
• signal amplifier portions adapted to amplify and output signal charges transferred from the charge transfer regions;
• and
• a plurality of independent potential supply portions adapted to supply a potential gradient to the semiconductor region,
• wherein the signal charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion portions by the potential gradient formed by said plurality of potential supply portions are input to the signal amplifier portions via the transfer regions, and signals amplified by the amplifier portions are output.