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IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE

  • US 20090086073A1
  • Filed: 09/24/2008
  • Published: 04/02/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

  • a solid-state imaging device; and

    a driving unit that drives the solid-state imaging device, whereinthe solid-state imaging device includes;

    a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that are two-dimensionally arranged on a semiconductor substrate in a specific direction and a direction that is orthogonal to the specific direction,a plurality of charge transfer paths that are provided so as to correspond to photoelectric conversion element columns, each including the photoelectric conversion elements arranged in the specific direction, the charge transfer paths that transfer in the specific direction charges generated in the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, andtransfer electrodes that are provided above the charge transfer paths and are arranged along the specific direction,the transfer electrodes include first transfer electrodes that are provided to correspond to the respective photoelectric conversion elements constituting the photoelectric conversion element column, the first transfer electrodes that control reading out of the charges from the photoelectric conversion elements to the charge transfer paths and the transferring of the charges in the charge transfer path,the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements include first photoelectric conversion elements and second photoelectric conversion elements,an exposure time of the second photoelectric conversion elements is shorter than that of the first photoelectric conversion elements, andduring the exposure period of the first photoelectric conversion elements, the driving unit performs a driving operation includingapplying, to the first transfer electrodes corresponding to the second photoelectric conversion elements, a readout pulse for reading out the charges stored in the photoelectric conversion elements to the charge transfer paths, andapplying, to at least a part of the transfer electrodes other than the transfer electrode to which the readout pulse is applied, a suppression pulse that has a polarity opposite to that of the readout pulse and prevents potentials of charge storage regions of the photoelectric conversion elements from changing due to the readout pulse.

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