IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive image pickup device and an electronic camera to photograph the still image and the moving images of high resolution by providing a function to eliminate the electric charge stored in a horizontal CCD and quickly eliminating the unnecessary electric charge that is supplied to a horizontal transfer means. SOLUTION: In a general, the electric charge moves to a low potential position from a high potential position and accordingly the electric charge stored in a horizontal CCD 103 never moves to a horizontal CCD drain 105 over a horizontal CCD drain gate 104. However, the electric charge flows into the drain 105 over the gate 104 from the CCD 103 since the potential of the gate 104 has a low level. The drain 105 has a function to eliminate the electric charge flowing into it and can eliminate all unnecessary electric charge supplied from a vertical CCD 102 out of the CCD 103. In other words, even the time when the electric charge is read out of the CCD 103 can be allocated to a fast operation of the CCD 102. As a result, a larger number of signals of unnecessary vertical images can be eliminated.