The design methodology of a bipolar imaging device (BASIS) consisting of a capacitor-loaded emitter-follower circuitry has been established by analyzing the basic operation of BASIS and the generation mechanism of fixed pattern noise, where theoretical results coincide well with experimental results. From this methodology, a wide dynamic range of linearity is assured by optimizing the forward-bias voltage in readout operation, while high sensitivity is realized by designing the base to collector junction capacitance C(bc) as small as possible and by designing the emitter common current gain h(FE) of a phototransistor in a pixel to be as high as possible. In order to reduce fixed pattern noise, nonuniformities of h(FE) and C(bc) should be made as small as possible by improving fabrication process technology, while the "bootstrap factor" K(f) defined in this theory should be designed as small as possible.