METHOD OF DRIVING CCD-TYPE SOLID-STATE IMAGING ELEMENT, AND IMAGING APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress occurrence of blooming when performing electronic multiplication drive with a CCD-type solid-state imaging element.SOLUTION: Each of a plurality of pixels 42 arrayed and formed in a two-dimensional array shape on a surface part of a semiconductor substrate accumulates signal charges corresponding to the quantity of light incident from a subject, and signal charges are read from any one of pixels 42 in a pixel column to a charge transfer path 43 formed along the pixel array comprised of the pixels 42. When performing electronic multiplication drive by dropping the read-out signal charges into an electronic multiplication potential well formed on the charge transfer path 43, a transfer electrode adjacent to the pixel 42, from which the signal charges have been already read, is selected without fail from among transfer electrodes constituting the charge transfer path 43 and an electronic multiplication voltage is applied to the selected transfer electrode, thereby forming the electronic multiplication potential well.