Solid-state color-image sensor and process for fabricating the same

Abstract

In a step for bonding a color filter to a solid-state image sensor so as to provide a color-sensitive image sensor (to be referred to as 'a color-image sensor' in this specification), a method for bonding the color filter to the image sensor with an adhesive which is curable by ultraviolet radiation and also the constructions of color filters and image sensors which can facilitate the bonding step. Further techniques for mass producing high-precision and high-quality solid-state color-image sensors, each of which is bonded with a color filter with a higher degree of accuracy in alignment and by a higher degree of adhesive strength, by carrying out the bonding step in an atmosphere containing oxygen so as to inhibit an adhesive squeezed out of the space between the image sensor and the color filter from being cured and subsequently facilitate the removal of uncured adhesive and by forming protective layers or films over the surfaces to be bonded of the image sensor and color filter prior to the bonding step so as to prevent these surfaces from being damaged during the bonding step.