The present invention provides a solid state image pickup device, including a silicon substrate and a photoelectric conversion unit which receives external incident light and generates signals in accordance therewith, and which is formed on or above the surface of the silicon substrate, wherein a signal transmission circuit for reading out the signals generated in the photoelectric conversion unit is formed on the silicon substrate; the photoelectric conversion unit includes a photoelectric conversion layer which has a laminated structure of plural compound semiconductor layers, which are different from each other in light wavelength to absorb and are provided with the laminated structure so that the shorter a light absorption wavelength of a compound semiconductor layer is, the closer to a light incident side the compound semiconductor layer resides; and the plural compound semiconductor layers are respectively connected to pixel electrodes formed on the signal transmission circuit.