Patent ID: 7821560

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device operating method of a solid-state imaging device, the solid-state imaging device having a plurality of pixels integrated in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array; each of said plurality of pixels comprising: at least a photodiode for receiving light and producing photocharges, a transfer transistor coupled to said photodiode for transferring said photocharges, a floating region to which said photocharges are transferred through said transfer transistor, a first storage transistor coupled to said transfer transistor, a first storage capacitance element for storing photocharges overflowing from said photodiode through said transfer transistor and said first storage transistor in storage operation, a second storage transistor for transferring photocharges overflowing from said first storage capacitance element, and a second storage capacitance element for storing the photocharges overflowing from said first storage capacitance element through said second storage transistor; said operating method comprising: a step of, before charge storage, turning on said first and second storage transistors to drain photocharges out of said floating region and said first and second storage capacitance elements, a step of storing before-saturation charges of photocharges produced by said photodiode, in said photodiode and storing supersaturation charges overflowing from said photodiode, into said floating region and said first storage capacitance element, a step of turning off said first storage transistor to drain the photocharges out of said floating region, a step of turning on said transfer transistor to transfer said before-saturation charges to said floating region, thereby reading a before-saturation signal indicative of a voltage signal of said before-saturation charges, a step of turning on said first storage transistor, thereby reading a first supersaturation signal indicative of a voltage signal of the sum of said before-saturation charges and said supersaturation charges having overflowed from said photodiode, and a step of tuning on said second storage transistor, thereby reading a second supersaturation signal indicative of a voltage signal of the sum of said before-saturation charges, said supersaturation charges having overflowed from said photodiode, and supersaturation charges having overflowed from said first storage capacitance element.