Patent ID: 7294872

Claim:
A solid state image pickup device comprising: a plurality of charge accumulation regions of a first conductivity type, disposed in a semiconductor substrate in a matrix shape, for photoelectrically converting incidence light into signal charges and accumulating the signal charges; a plurality of vertical transfer channels of the first conductivity type each disposed in said semiconductor substrate adjacent to each column of said charge accumulation regions, said vertical transfer channel transferring the signal charges accumulated in said charge accumulation regions along generally a column direction; a vertical transfer electrode formed above said vertical transfer channels for transferring the signal charges accumulated in said charge accumulation regions by controlling a potential of each of said vertical transfer channels; a drain of the first conductivity type for sweeping signal charges, said drain being disposed near each of said vertical transfer channels on a downstream side of the column direction of an area of said charge accumulation regions disposed in the matrix shape; a gate as a barrier region formed between said drain and a corresponding one of said vertical transfer channels; an insulating film formed on said drain, said gate and said vertical transfer channel, said insulating film including silicon oxide films and a silicon nitride film, said silicon nitride film covering said vertical transfer channel and extending above said gate excepting a portion near said drain; a gate control electrode formed on said insulating film for sweeping the signal charges transferred by said vertical transfer channel to said drain; and a horizontal CCD formed on the downstream side of the column direction of an area of said drains, said horizontal CCD transferring the signal charges transferred from said vertical transfer channels along a row direction.