Patent ID: 7772028

Claim:
A method for fabricating an image sensor array of pixels comprising: forming a corresponding light sensitive element in a semiconductor substrate for each array pixel, said element adapted to receive light incident to a respective pixel, said forming step further including the step of forming a structure of insulator material in said substrate above said light sensitive element at each pixel, forming a first interlevel dielectric layer formed atop said substrate; forming a barrier material layer between said substrate and said first interlevel dielectric layer; forming at least one metal interconnect layer formed atop said first interlevel dielectric layer, said formed metal interconnect layer including a Cu metal wire structure formed between each light sensitive element in said array; and forming a second interlevel dielectric layer atop said Cu metal interconnect layer in said array, wherein said Cu metal interconnect layer enables formation of thin first and second interlevel dielectric layers to shorten an optical path and thereby increase an amount of light received by each light sensitive element in said array, and said method further comprising the step of selectively removing portions of said barrier material layer above said substrate at a region corresponding to said insulator material structure formed above said light sensitive element at each pixel.