Patent ID: 8354693

Claim:
A solid state imaging device, comprising a pixel having a photoelectric conversion element formed on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the photoelectric conversion element includes: a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type formed on the semiconductor substrate; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type formed on the first semiconductor layer and forming a junction therebetween; a third semiconductor layer formed on the second semiconductor layer and having a smaller band gap energy than the second semiconductor layer, the third semiconductor layer being made of a single-crystal semiconductor and containing an impurity; a fourth semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type covering a side surface of the third semiconductor layer and an upper surface of the third semiconductor layer; and an isolation region covered with a sidewall semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type adjoining to the second semiconductor layer, wherein a lower surface of a side layer of the fourth semiconductor layer is directly connected to a top surface of a side layer of the sidewall semiconductor layer.