Patent ID: 7593049

Claim:
A CMOS image sensor comprising: a plurality of unit cells arranged in the row and column directions at predetermined pitches of Ph0 and Pv0, respectively, in a two-dimensional plane forming a matrix, each of the unit cells including: a first and a second photoelectric conversion element, each of which corresponds to a pixel, a first and a second transfer transistor for transferring charges stored by the first and second photoelectric conversion elements to their common floating junction, a reset transistor for resetting the potential of the floating junction, a driver transistor whose output potential is controlled by the potential of the floating junction, and an address transistor for selectively driving the driver transistor; reset drain voltage lines provided in the column direction of the matrix arrangement for resetting the potential of common floating junctions included in the unit cells belonging to each column of the matrix arrangement; first transfer lines provided in the row direction of the matrix arrangement for controlling first transfer transistors included in the unit cells belonging to each row; second transfer lines in the row direction of the matrix arrangement for controlling second transfer transistors included in the unit cells belonging to each row of the matrix arrangement; signal output lines provided in the column direction of the matrix arrangement to which output voltages of driver transistors included in the unit cells belonging to each column of the matrix arrangement are supplied, and address lines provided in the row direction of the matrix arrangement for selectively driving the driver transistors included in the unit cells belonging to each row, wherein first photoelectric conversion elements constituting the respective unit cells and arranged in a horizontal row form a first pixel line, second photoelectric conversion elements constituting the respective unit cells and arranged in a horizontal row form a second pixel line adjacent to the first pixel line, and the first photoelectric conversion elements arranged in the first pixel lines are dislocated from the respective closest ones of the second photoelectric conversion elements arranged in the second pixel lines by Ph0/2 and Pv0/2 in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, to form a checker wise arrangement as a whole.