Patent ID: 7462507

Claim:
A method for forming an image sensor device, comprising: forming a photodiode in a substrate; forming an isolation region in the substrate to a first side of the photodiode; forming a plurality of transistors on the substrate to a second side of the photodiode, the transistors having source/drain regions and a gate; forming on the substrate having the photodiode an interlayer dielectric structure having a plurality of alternately stacked interlayer dielectric layers and diffusion barrier layers with an uppermost layer being an interlayer dielectric layer, and concurrently forming at least one electrical connection line formed of a metal interconnection within a barrier metal layer through the alternately stacked interlayer dielectric layers and diffusion barrier layers to be electrically associated with the photodiode and the plurality of transistors; forming a light passageway having a light inlet in alignment with the photodiode by removing portions of the interlayer dielectric structure over the photodiode; forming a color filter over the light inlet of the light passageway; and forming a lens over the color filter to be in alignment with the light passageway.