Patent ID: 8791542

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device comprising: a photoelectric converter including: a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type that is provided adjacent to the first semiconductor layer; and a third semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type that is provided adjacent to the second semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer being formed of a material with an absorption coefficient for visible light greater than that of a material forming the third semiconductor layer, a relation of D 2m3 /L 2m3 ×n i3 2 /N 2 <D 1M2 /L 1M2 ×n i2 2 /N 2 and a relation of D 1m1 /L 1m1 ×n i1 2 /N 1 <D 1m2 /L 1m2 ×n i2 2 /N 1 being established where a diffusion coefficient of a minority carrier in the first semiconductor layer is D 1m1 , a diffusion length of the minority carrier in the first semiconductor layer is L 1m1 , an intrinsic carrier concentration in the first semiconductor layer is n i1 , a dopant concentration in the first semiconductor layer is N 1 , a diffusion coefficient of the minority carrier in the second semiconductor layer is D 1m2 , a diffusion coefficient of a majority carrier in the second semiconductor layer is D 1M2 , a diffusion length of the minority carrier in the second semiconductor layer is L 1m2 , a diffusion length of the majority carrier in the second semiconductor layer is L 1M2 , an intrinsic carrier concentration in the second semiconductor layer is n i2 , a diffusion coefficient of the minority carrier in the third semiconductor layer is D 2m3 , a diffusion length of the minority carrier in the third semiconductor layer is L 2m3 , an intrinsic carrier concentration in the third semiconductor layer is n i3 , and a dopant concentration in the third semiconductor layer is N 2 .