Patent ID: 7535494
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A MOS-type solid-state image pickup device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a large number of pixels arranged in one surface of said semiconductor substrate in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each said pixel including (a) a photoelectric converter element having a cathode and (b) a switching circuit electrically connected to said cathode of the photoelectric converter element for controlling generation of an output signal representing electric charge accumulated in said cathode and discharge of the electric charge from said cathode; a plurality of row selection signal lines disposed along a row direction, each being associated with one pixel row for supplying a row selection signal; a plurality of output signal lines disposed along a column direction, each being associated with at least one pixel column; a plurality of reset signal lines disposed along the row direction, each being associated with one pixel row for supplying a reset signal; a row shift circuit including a row read scan circuit capable of supplying a read signal to said plurality of row selection signal lines sequentially, and a reset scan circuit capable of supplying a reset signal to said plurality of reset signal lines sequentially, the row shift circuit having no random access function; a power source line; and an overall reset controller for supplying an overall reset signal to all of said reset signal lines at one time; wherein said switching circuit comprises: a series connection of an output transistor and a selection transistor connected between the power source line and an associated output signal line, the output transistor having a gate being capable of receiving a potential generated by the charge accumulated in said cathode, the selection transistor having a gate connected to an associated row selection signal line; and a reset transistor connected between said cathode and said power source line, and having a gate connected to an associated reset signal line.