Patent ID: 6507055
Filing Date: 2003-01-14
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A solid state image pickup device comprising:a semiconductor substrate; a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type formed in said semiconductor substrate; a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements formed in said semiconductor layer regularly in vertical and horizontal directions; a plurality of first semiconductor layers of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, said first semiconductor layer being formed in said semiconductor layer along a photoelectric conversion element column having said photoelectric conversion elements regularly disposed in the vertical direction, and extending in the vertical direction and protruding from the photoelectric conversion element column; a second semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type formed in said semiconductor layer, said second semiconductor layer extending in the horizontal direction and having an opposing side which is positioned near at one end of the photoelectric conversion element column of each of said first semiconductor layers and faces the one end spaced by a distance L from the one end; a horizontal charge transfer channel layer of the first conductivity type formed in said second semiconductor layer and extending in the horizontal direction; a plurality of vertical charge transfer channel layers of the first conductivity type each extending in the vertical direction in a corresponding one of said first semiconductor layers toward said horizontal charge transfer channel layer and protruding from the one end to couple said horizontal charge transfer channel layer; and a third semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type formed between the one ends and the opposing side, said third semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type having an impurity concentration lower than a higher one of impurity concentrations of said first and second semiconductor layers of the second conductivity type.