Patent ID: 7564493
Filing Date: 2009-07-21
Classification: H01L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising: a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions that are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix form; a readout portion for reading out selectively a signal charge from each of the photoelectric conversion portions; a plurality of vertical transfer portions, provided so as to correspond to respective columns of the photoelectric conversion portions, for transferring the signal charge read out by the readout portion in a vertical direction; a horizontal transfer portion for transferring the signal charge received from the plurality of vertical transfer portions in a horizontal direction; and a control portion for supplying a drive signal to each of transfer electrodes constituting the readout portion, the vertical transfer portions and the horizontal transfer portion and controlling the read out of the signal charge by the readout portion and the transfer of the signal charge; wherein each of the plurality of vertical transfer portions comprises a plurality of vertical transfer stages, each provided with a plurality of phases of the transfer electrodes, the transfer electrodes at a vertical last stage, which is closest to the horizontal transfer portion among the vertical transfer stages, include independent transfer electrodes for at least two phases, that are independent of the other vertical transfer stages, the independent transfer electrodes have identical configurations repeated in a unit of n (n is an integer equal to or larger than 2) columns and are constituted so as to be in common among corresponding columns in a plurality of the units of n columns and independent of the independent transfer electrodes belonging to the other columns in the unit of n columns, at a time of reading out the signal charge, the readout portion is driven so that a signal transfer stage from which the signal charge is read out and a dummy transfer stage from which the signal charge is not read out are formed alternately in the plurality of vertical transfer stages constituting each column of the vertical transfer portions, the signal charge and a dummy signal at the signal transfer stage and the dummy transfer stage that are arranged alternately are transferred toward the horizontal transfer portion, and the signal charge at the signal transfer stage and the dummy signal at the following dummy transfer stage are mixed together at the vertical last stage, and the transfer electrodes are driven so that the mixed signal charges at the vertical last stage are transferred to the horizontal transfer portion.