US 7,321,110 B2
Solid state image pickup device and camera
Akira Okita, Yamato (Japan); Toru Koizumi, Yokohama (Japan); Masanori Ogura, Atsugi (Japan); Shin Kikuchi, Isehara (Japan); and Tetsuya Itano, Zama (Japan)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Mar. 13, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/373,195.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-080347 (JP), filed on Mar. 18, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0208161 A1, Sep. 21, 2006
Int. Cl. H01L 27/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 250—208.1  [250/214.1; 348/294; 348/307] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A solid state image pickup device, comprising a plurality of pixel units, each one of the plurality of pixel units including:
a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions including a first and a second photoelectric conversion regions for generating carriers by photoelectric conversion and accumulating the generated carriers;
a single amplifying unit for amplifying the carriers, the amplifying unit being commonly provided to at least the first and the second photoelectric conversion regions;
a first transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the first photoelectric conversion region to the amplifying unit;
a first carrier accumulating unit for accumulating carriers flowing out from the first photoelectric conversion region;
a second transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the first carrier accumulating unit to the amplifying unit;
a third transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the second photoelectric conversion region to the amplifying unit;
a second carrier accumulating unit for accumulating carriers flowing out from the second photoelectric conversion region; and
a fourth transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the second carrier accumulating unit to the amplifying unit.