Patent ID: 7439095

Claim:
A method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor, comprising: defining a sensing part and a peripheral driving part of a substrate; forming a first insulating interlayer over a surface of the substrate; forming a first metal line on the first insulating interlayer in each of the sensing and peripheral driving parts; forming a second insulating interlayer over the surface of the substrate, including the first metal line; forming a second metal line on the second insulating interlayer in each of the sensing and peripheral driving parts; forming an etch-stop layer over the surface of the substrate, including the second metal line; forming a third insulating interlayer over the surface of the substrate, including the etch-stop layer; forming a third metal line on the third insulating interlayer in the peripheral driving part; forming a fourth insulating interlayer on the third insulating interlayer, including the third metal line forming a fourth metal line on the fourth insulating interlayer in the peripheral driving part; and removing the fourth insulating interlayer and the third insulating interlayer from the sensing part.