Patent 7612426 was granted and assigned to Panasonic on November, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A Schottky barrier diode includes a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer successively formed above a semiconductor substrate with a buffer layer formed between the first and second semiconductor layers and the semiconductor substrate. A Schottky electrode and an ohmic electrode spaced from each other are formed on the second semiconductor layer, and a back face electrode is formed on the back face of the semiconductor substrate. The Schottky electrode or the ohmic electrode is electrically connected to the back face electrode through a via penetrating through at least the buffer layer.