Patent ID: 8018014

Claim:
A semiconductor device, comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a gate electrode formed thereon; a photodiode responsive to an input light, which is formed in the semiconductor substrate; at least an interlayer insulating layer formed over the semiconductor substrate, the at least an interlayer insulating layer comprising a non-doped silicate glass (NSG), upper most insulating layer that covers the photodiode, and a lower most insulating layer having the NSG upper most insulating layer disposed thereon, the lower most insulating layer covering a surface of the photodiode and covering the gate electrode, the lower most insulating layer being comprised of a different material than the upper most insulating layer; at least a conductive wiring layer including an intermediate conductive wiring layer surrounded and completely covered by the NSG upper most insulating layer, and further comprising an upper most conductive wiring layer formed on the NSG upper most insulating layer; and a first passivation layer, comprised of nitride, formed over to cover the upper-most conductive wiring layer, wherein the upper-most wiring layer is not formed directly above the photodiode, the first passivation layer is made of a permeability-resist material and is not formed directly above the photodiode so that the photodiode is exposed from the first passivation layer.