Solid state imaging device and method of driving the same

A method of driving a solid state imaging device, the solid state imaging device including:

• an accumulation well that accumulates photo-generated charges generated by a photoelectric conversion element corresponding to incident light;
• a modulation well that controls a threshold voltage of a channel of a modulation transistor by holding the photo-generated charges;
• a transfer control element having a control end is common-coupled to a control end of the modulation transistor, and that controls a potential barrier of a transfer channel between the accumulation well and the modulation well;
• and
• an unwanted charges discharge control element that controls a potential barrier of an unwanted charges discharge channel coupled to the accumulation well;
• the method comprising:
• a single accumulation procedure for controlling the potential barrier of the transfer channel and the unwanted charges discharge channel with the transfer control element and the unwanted charges discharge control element, so as to accumulate the photo-generated charges by the photoelectric conversion element into the accumulation well at least so that the photo-generated charges do not flow to the modulation well through the transfer channel;
• a reading procedure including:
• a signal component modulation procedure for outputting a pixel signal corresponding to the photo-generated charges from the modulation transistor, while the photo-generated charges are held in the modulation well by controlling the potential barrier of the transfer channel with the transfer control element;
• a discharge procedure for discharging residual charges in the modulation well;
• and
• a noise component modulation procedure for controlling the potential barrier of the transfer channel with the transfer control element and reading a noise component from the modulation transistor after the discharge procedure;
• a parallel accumulation procedure for, during the same period as the signal component modulation procedure, the discharge procedure, and the noise component modulation procedure, controlling the potential barrier of the transfer channel and the unwanted charges discharge channel with the transfer control element and the unwanted charges discharge control element so as to accumulate the photo-generated charges by the photoelectric conversion element into the accumulation well at least so that the photo-generated charges do not flow to the modulation well through the transfer channel;
• and
• a transfer procedure for controlling the potential barrier of the transfer channel with the transfer control element so as to transfer the photo-generated charges accumulated in the accumulation well to the modulation well and make the photo-generated charges be held therein.