Patent ID: 7804534
Filing Date: 2010-09-28
Classification: H01L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of driving a solid-state imaging device, the device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements formed in a surface portion of the semiconductor substrate in the form of a two-dimensional array so as to comprise a plurality of sets, each comprising a subset of the photoelectric conversion elements arranged in one direction; charge transfer paths each formed at a side portion of the subset of the photoelectric conversion elements to cause a signal charge of the photoelectric conversion elements be read out when a readout pulse is applied and cause the signal charge which has been read out to be transferred when a transfer pulse is applied; and an electrically conductive light shielding film which is laminated on a surface of the semiconductor substrate through an insulating layer and has openings immediately above each of the photoelectric conversion elements, the method comprising applying a pulse voltage having a potential of a same polarity as that of the readout pulse to the light shielding film when the readout pulse is applied to a readout electrode of the charge transfer paths; and applying the pulse voltage having a potential of an opposite polarity to that of the readout pulse to the light shielding film when the readout pulse is not applied to the readout electrode, wherein: the pulse voltage having the potential of the same polarity applied to the light shielding film occurs during the readout pulse and precedes the readout pulse by a predetermined time period, and the pulse voltage having the potential of the opposite polarity is applied to the light shielding film after the readout pulse having the voltage of the same polarity terminates and lags behind the termination of the readout pulse by a predetermined time period.