Patent ID: 7839441

Claim:
An amplification type solid-state image pickup device comprising: a pixel section having a photoelectric conversion element that produces an output signal, a transfer transistor connected to the photoelectric conversion element to receive the output signal for transferring signal charge derived from the output signal of the photoelectric conversion element, and an amplification device connected to a charge detection part as an input thereof for amplifying the signal charge transferred to the charge detection part by the transfer transistor; and a control unit for, during a first period, controlling a gate voltage of the transfer transistor to a first gate voltage to make the signal charge transfer from the photoelectric conversion element to the charge detection part, and for, in a second period subsequent to the first period, setting a gate of the transfer transistor to a high impedance and moreover for, in the second period, controlling the gate voltage of the transfer transistor to a second gate voltage which provides power for transferring the signal charge to the charge detection part more completely than the first gate voltage alone, wherein the control unit includes a drive circuit section and a control section for controlling the drive circuit section, the drive circuit section comprising: a switching MOS transistor whose first terminal is connected to the gate of the transfer transistor; a first switching element which, in the first period, turns on to make a gate terminal of the MOS transistor connected to ground and which, in the second period, turns off to make the gate terminal of the MOS transistor disconnected from the ground; a second switching element which, in the first period, turns on to make a second terminal of the MOS transistor connected to power supply and which, in the second period, turns off; and a third switching element which, in the first period, turns off to make a first terminal of the MOS transistor and its gate terminal disconnected from each other and which, in the second period, turns on to make the gate terminal of the MOS transistor and its first terminal connected to each other, wherein in the second period, the first switching element and the second switching element turn off, whereby the gate of the transfer transistor is set to a high impedance state.