Patent ID: 7119840

Claim:
A solid-state image pickup device having pixels each provided with photoelectrically converting means for accumulating photo-charges depending on an amount of light received, a floating diffusion node for receiving the photo-charges accumulated by said photoelectrically converting means, transfer means for transferring the photo-charges accumulated by said photoelectrically converting means to said floating diffusion node, an amplification transistor for taking out a signal corresponding to the photo-charges from said floating diffusion node, a reset transistor for resetting said floating diffusion node, and a selection transistor connected to said amplification transistor and selectively providing an output from said amplification transistor to a signal line, said amplification transistor being disposed between said selection transistor and said signal line, and said selection transistor being turned on after the end of reset operation by said reset transistor, wherein said selection transistor is constituted as a depletion transistor having a threshold set to such a low level that there occurs substantially no voltage lowering due to a threshold of said selection transistor when turned on.