Patent ID: 7902578

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device including an imaging area formed of a plurality of pixels arrayed in a two-dimensional matrix, comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a top side and a rear side; a photoelectric conversion portion including a charge accumulation region formed in the semiconductor substrate; a pixel separating region formed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent the photoelectric conversion portion; a read transistor for reading electric charges from the photoelectric conversion portion; and a gettering site for separating metal impurities within the semiconductor substrate from at least the photoelectric conversion portion, a bias voltage is applied to the gettering site, wherein the photoelectric conversion portion is formed in the semiconductor substrate so that the photoelectric conversion portion is provided on the top surface side of the semiconductor substrate, and the gettering site is provided on the rear side of the semiconductor substrate so that the gettering site is external to the semiconductor substrate and the pixel separating region, the gettering site is above the semiconductor substrate.