Patent ID: 7772626

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a semiconductor substrate defined into a sensing part and a peripheral driving part; a plurality of photodiodes and transistors formed in the sensing part of the semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer formed over the semiconductor substrate including the photodiodes and the transistors; at least one lower insulating interlayer formed over the insulating layer; at least one lower metal line formed over the at least one insulating interlayer; an upper insulating interlayer formed over the semiconductor substrate including the at least one lower metal line; an upper metal line formed over the upper insulating interlayer; a poly layer formed over the upper insulating interlayer on at least one side of the upper metal line such that the uppermost surfaces of the upper insulating layer, the upper metal line and the poly layer are coplanar; and a protective layer formed over the upper insulating interlayer including the poly layer and the upper metal line.