Patent ID: 6541805
Filing Date: 2003-04-01
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A solid-state image pickup device, comprising:a semiconductor substrate; a light sensing section defined on a surface of said semiconductor substrate; a large number of photoelectric converter elements formed in said light sensing section in a plurality of rows and in a plurality of columns; a charge transfer channel formed for each said photoelectric converter element column adjacent thereto on the surface of said semiconductor substrate, said charge transfer channel intersecting said light sensing section in a predetermined direction in a plan view; a plurality of transfer electrodes formed on said light sensing section, each said transfer electrode including a plurality of transfer path forming sections equal in number to said charge transfer channels, each said transfer path forming section intersecting an associated one of said charge transfer channels in a plan view, each intersection thereof constituting one charge transfer stage together with said associated charge transfer channel; a plurality of joining channels, each said joining channel being formed in the surface of said semiconductor substrate for each set of a plurality of said charge transfer channels, each said joining channel combining the set of said charge transfer channels with each other in a region outside said light sensing section; and a joining channel transfer electrode formed on the surface of said semiconductor substrate in the region outside said light sensing section, said joining channel transfer electrode intersecting each said joining channel in a plan view, each said intersection thereof constituting one joining charge transfer stage together with said each joining channel.