Patent ID: 8519316

Claim:
A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: a substrate; a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged on the substrate; and a transistor arranged on the substrate for transferring a signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion element, wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements include a first photoelectric conversion element, a second photoelectric conversion element adjacent to the first photoelectric conversion element and a third photoelectric conversion element adjacent to the first photoelectric conversion element, and a first region having a first width is arranged between the first and second photoelectric conversion elements, a second region having a second width narrower than the first width is arranged between the first and third photoelectric conversion elements, a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type such that the signal charge is minority carrier and of a third width is arranged in the first region, a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type and of a fourth width narrower than the third width is arranged in the second region, and a third region having a potential as to the signal charge lower than first semiconductor region is arranged in the first region.