Patent 7977710 was granted and assigned to Sony on July, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A solid state imaging device in which Υ characteristic is obtained and enlargement of dynamic range is provided. The solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a vertical overflow function and has a feature in which potential of a semiconductor substrate is changed from a high potential to a low potential in a stepwise manner during a period from an exposure start to an exposure end.