Patent ID: 7545015

Claim:
A photodetection device comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a back surface which serves as a light-incident surface, and a front surface which opposes said back surface and is provided with a charge reading part constituted by a charge-coupled device that detects light propagating from said back surface, said semiconductor substrate having a structure such that the thickness of a region at which said charge reading part is disposed is thinner than the thickness of the remaining region; a cooling device cooling said charge reading part, said cooling device having a cooling surface which has a size that is larger than the region at which said charge reading part is disposed and yet smaller than the entirety of said front surface of said semiconductor substrate, and which contacts the front surface of said semiconductor substrate while covering the entirety of said charge reading part; a package having a cavity which houses both said semiconductor substrate and said cooling device, and being provided with package terminals electrically communicating between said cavity and the exterior thereof; electrode pads provided on said front surface of said semiconductor substrate and positioned at the peripheral of the region covered by said cooling surface; and bonding wires electrically connecting said package terminals and said electrode pads, wherein said cooling device is fixed to said package while the surface at the opposite side of said cooling surface contacts a bottom part of said cavity of said package, and wherein a working opening is provided at the cavity bottom part of said package that correspond to said electrode pads and said package terminals.