Patent ID: 7538810
Filing Date: 2009-05-26
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image pickup device including a pixel comprising: a photoelectric conversion unit, which generates carriers by photoelectric conversion and accumulates a part of the carriers; a first capacitor, which is light-shielded, and which accumulates carriers that overflow from the photoelectric conversion unit; an amplifying unit, which amplifies a signal based on the carriers accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit and the carriers accumulated in the first capacitor; a first transfer transistor, which transfers the carriers accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit to the amplifying unit; and a second transfer transistor, which transfers the carriers accumulated in the first capacitor to the amplifying unit, wherein the photoelectric conversion unit and the first capacitor have a same structure, wherein the photoelectric conversion unit includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type for accumulating the carriers and a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type disposed in a surface side of the first semiconductor region; and wherein the first capacitor includes a third semiconductor region of the first conductivity type for accumulating a part of the carriers that overflow from the photoelectric conversion unit, and a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type disposed in a surface side of the third semiconductor region.