Patent ID: 8748951

Claim:
A solid-state image sensing device comprising a unit pixel containing a photoelectric conversion element for detecting a light to generate photoelectrons, and a pixel drive circuits for driving the unit pixel, wherein the photoelectric conversion element has a photogate structure, the pixel drive circuits are configured to apply a voltage selected from three voltages directly to a photogate of the photoelectric conversion element to store or transfer the photoelectrons, the three voltages include at least a first voltage, a second voltage higher than the first voltage, and a third voltage higher than the first voltage and lower than the second voltage the pixel drive circuits are configured to apply the third voltage directly to the photogate to discharge the photoelectrons generated in the photoelectric conversion element in a discharge period, the pixel drive circuits are configured to apply the second voltage or the third voltage directly to the photogate to store the photoelectrons generated in the photoelectric conversion element in a storage period after the discharge period, and the pixel drive circuits are configured to apply the third voltage directly to the photogate and then apply the first voltage directly to the photogate to transfer the photoelectrons stored in the photoelectric conversion element to a photoelectron hold unit in a first transfer period after the storage period.