Abstract of the Disclosure

An integrated circuit containing a surface barrier diode utilizing the Schottky effect. The Schottky-barrier diode is formed in a high resistivity epitaxial layer which contains other semiconductor devices forming an integrated circuit. The epitaxial layer has a thickness of less than 2.5 microns and an impurity concentration of less than 5x10¹⁶ cm.^-3 at the surface. The diode comprises a metallic rectifying contact formed on the surface of the epitaxial layer opposite to and spaced by a distance of less than 0.5 micron from a low resistivity region formed in said epitaxial layer by out-diffusion from a corresponding region in a semiconductor substrate supporting the epitaxial layer. Suitable electrical connections couple the rectifying contact and the low resistivity epitaxial region to other devices in the circuit, e.g., the low resistivity region is coupled to a collector and the contact coupled to a base of a transistor providing a diode shunt across the collector-base junction which prevents saturation of the transistor.

• Figure 1 is a flow diagram in cross-sectional form depicting the fabrication of the integrated circuit structure of one embodiment of the present invention.

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3,271,636  09/1966  Irvin
3,451,912  06/1969  O'Heurle
3,463,975  08/1969  Biard