Patent ID: 8368788

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device comprising: a photoelectric conversion layer that is formed over a semiconductor substrate; a MOS transistor circuit that reads out a signal corresponding to charges generated in the photoelectric conversion layer and then collected, and that is formed in the semiconductor substrate, the charges having a given polarity, wherein the MOS transistor circuit includes: a charge accumulation portion that is electrically connected with the photoelectric conversion layer; a reset transistor that resets a potential of the charge accumulation portion to a reset potential; and an output transistor that outputs a signal corresponding to the potential of the charge accumulation portion, the reset transistor and the output transistor have carriers whose polarity is opposite to the given polarity, following formula (1) is satisfied: GND<Vs<GND+ΔV 2+( Vdd/ 5) (1) where GND denote a reference potential of all potentials, Vs denote the reset potential of the reset transistor, and ΔV 2 denote a difference between a first potential of the charge accumulation portion in a case where the reset transistor is in its ON state and a second potential of the charge accumulation portion immediately after the reset transistor has turned from its ON state into its OFF state, and Vdd is a power source voltage of the solid-state imaging device.