Patent ID: 7352028

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device, comprising: a substrate; a photoelectric transducer that is provided within the substrate and generates light-generated charge in accordance with incident light; a floating diffusion that retains the light-generated charge generated from the photoelectric transducer; a transfer and retention unit that is provided between the photoelectric transducer and the floating diffusion for a purpose of controlling a transfer of the light-generated charge and has a charge-retaining region that can retain the light-generated charge generated from the photoelectric transducer; a reset unit that initializes a potential of the floating diffusion; an amplifying transistor that generates an output based on a potential of the floating diffusion; a selection transistor that selectively outputs an output of the amplifying transistor; and an excessive charge-discharging path that lets excessive electric charge generated from the photoelectric transducer flow into the floating diffusion; wherein the photoelectric transducer includes: a second impurity region; wherein the floating diffusion includes: a fourth impurity region; wherein the excessive charge-discharging path includes: a fifth impurity region, which is formed on a surface of the substrate, contacting with the second impurity region and the fourth impurity region.