Patent ID: 7978241

Claim:
A solid state image pickup device comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes: a photoelectric conversion unit for generating electronic carriers based on an incident light; a transfer unit for transferring the electronic carriers; a floating diffusion region for holding the electronic carriers transferred by the transfer unit; a carrier holding unit for accumulating the electronic carriers generated in the photoelectric conversion unit; and an output unit for outputting a signal corresponding to the electronic carriers held in the floating diffusion region, wherein the carrier holding unit in a first pixel of the plurality of pixels is provided between a photoelectric conversion unit included in the first pixel and a photoelectric conversion unit included in a second pixel of the plurality of pixels, the second pixel being adjacent to the first pixel in a row direction, wherein the output unit in the first pixel is provided between the photoelectric conversion unit included in the first pixel and a photoelectric conversion unit included in a third pixel of the plurality of pixels, the third pixel being adjacent to the first pixel in a column direction, wherein the floating diffusion region and a terminal of the carrier holding unit are connected through a switch, wherein the transfer unit, the floating diffusion region, and the switch are arranged between the photoelectric conversion unit and the carrier holding unit, and wherein drain regions of the switch and the transfer unit are used in common as the floating diffusion region.