Method of driving solid-state imaging device

A solid-state imaging device comprising:

• photodiodes arranged in columns and rows;
• vertical transfer units each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the columns of said photodiodes and includes transfer electrodes;
• and
• a transfer control unit configured to (i) read a signal charge from each of the photodiodes by setting, to a first electric potential, an electric potential of a predetermined reading electrode among reading electrodes that are included in the transfer electrodes, each of the reading electrodes being provided for reading the signal charge from a corresponding one of the photodiodes and for transferring the read signal charge in a column direction, (ii) transfer, in the column direction, the read signal charge by applying, to each of the transfer electrodes, a driving pulse having a second electric potential and a third electric potential, the second electric potential being lower than the first electric potential, and the third electric potential being lower than the second electric potential, and (iii) in the reading of the signal charge, while the first electric potential is being applied to the predetermined reading electrode, set an electric potential of one of the transfer electrodes that are adjacent to the predetermined reading electrode, to the second electric potential, and change an electric potential of the other transfer electrode that is adjacent to the predetermined transfer electrode and an electric potential of a reading electrode that is included in the reading electrodes and that is other than the predetermined reading electrode either from the second electric potential to the third electric potential or from the third electric potential to the second electric potential,
• wherein each of said reading electrodes has a larger area than two of the transfer electrodes that are adjacent to the each of said reading electrodes.