Patent ID: 8013409

Claim:
A photoelectric conversion device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a photoelectric conversion element arranged in the semiconductor substrate; a plurality of MOS transistors each having a gate electrode for reading an electric charge from the photoelectric conversion element; a plurality of insulating layers arranged at a position higher than that of the gate electrodes; a multilayer structure having patterned layers arranged at a portion higher than that of the gate electrodes; and a plurality of high-refractive-index portions each having a refractive index higher than that of the plurality of insulating layers so as to guide light into the photoelectric conversion element by a reflection at corresponding interfaces between the plurality of insulating layers and the plurality of high-refractive-index portions, wherein a first high-refractive-index portion at a position closest to the photoelectric conversion element among the plurality of high-refractive-index portions has a first cross-section surface and a second cross-section surface horizontal to a light receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion element, the first and second cross-section surfaces being located at positions closer to the photoelectric conversion element than a patterned layer at a position closest to the photoelectric conversion element among the patterned layers, and wherein an area of the first cross-section surface at a position closer to the photoelectric conversion element than a position of the second cross-section surface is larger than an area of the second cross-section surface.