US 6,185,270 B2Granted

Solid state imaging device and method for driving the same

AssigneeNEC Corporation

InventorToshihiro Kawamura

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Abstract

In a connection part of vertical transfer registers with respect to a horizontal transfer register, transfer electrodes to which clocks φV1, φV2A, φV3A, φV2B, φV3B, and φV1A are applied are arranged in the cited order. In a horizontal transfer register 6, transfer is conducted by 3-phase clocks φH1A, ØH1B, and φH2. By activating clocks, signal charges of a channel denoted by A-A′ and channels equivalent thereto are first transferred to undersides of electrodes of φH1A of the horizontal transfer register. The signal charges are transferred in the rightward direction to underside of electrodes of φH1B. Subsequently, signal charges of a channel denoted by B-B′ and channels equivalent thereto are transferred to undersides of electrodes of φH1B of the horizontal transfer register, and mixed with the signal charges previously transferred. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce pixels and lower the resolution without conducting high speed driving.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A solid state imaging device comprising:

a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a matrix form;
first kind of vertical transfer registers and second kind of vertical transfer registers disposed alternately so as to be adjacent to said plurality of photodiodes;
a horizontal transfer register for transferring signal charges transferred from said vertical transfer registers to an output amplifier;
and
a first transfer electrode of first layer, a first transfer electrode of second layer, a first transfer electrode of third layer, a second transfer electrode of first layer, a second transfer electrode of second layer, and a second transfer electrode of third layer disposed in a connection part of said vertical transfer registers with respect to said horizontal transfer register,
wherein said transfer electrodes are disposed in order, facing said horizontal transfer register, of the first transfer electrode of first layer, the first transfer electrode of second layer, the first transfer electrode of third layer, the second transfer electrode of second layer, the second transfer electrode of third layer, and the second transfer electrode of first layer, and
wherein the first transfer electrode of second layer and the first transfer electrode of third layer are disposed, in said first kind of vertical transfer registers, on transfer electrodes of layers lower than itself, and the second transfer electrode of second layer and the second transfer electrode of third layer are disposed, in said second kind of vertical transfer registers, on transfer electrodes of layers lower than itself.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.