Patent ID: 8883526
Filing Date: 2014-11-11
Classification: H01L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of driving an image pickup device that includes a photoelectric conversion unit for generating carriers by photoelectric conversion and accumulating the carriers, a floating diffusion region, a transfer transistor for transferring the carriers from the photoelectric conversion unit to the floating diffusion region, a reset transistor for resetting the floating diffusion region, and a signal holding unit, the method comprising: supplying a third gate voltage to a gate of the transfer transistor, the third gate voltage being between a first gate voltage that turns on the transfer transistor and a second gate voltage that turns off the transfer transistor; holding a signal based on the carriers transferred during the supplying at the signal holding unit; and resetting the floating diffusion region having the carriers transferred during the supplying, wherein the holding is performed between the supplying and the resetting.