A method of forming a diode on a first doped silicon carbide layer having a first surface and a second surface, the method comprising: forming an intrinsic silicon carbide region and a silicon carbide region having a different conductivity type from said first doped silicon carbide layer of a semiconductor mesa on the first surface of the first doped silicon carbide layer, wherein said intrinsic silicon carbide region is located between said first doped silicon carbide layer and said silicon carbide region having a different conductivity type, depositing a nonconductive spacer material on sides of the semiconductor mesa from the top of the mesa to the first doped silicon carbide layer to form at least one sidewall spacer of the semiconductor mesa for preventing short circuiting within the diode by performing the steps of: depositing said nonconductive spacer material over the diode and then etching the nonconductive spacer material so that the nonconductive spacer material only covers the sides of the semiconductor mesa; forming a lateral ohmic contact on the first surface of the first doped silicon carbide layer, wherein the lateral ohmic contact is extending from said sidewall spacer across at least a portion of said first surface of said first doped silicon carbide layer; forming a top ohmic contact on the semiconductor mesa; forming a conductive metal anode on said top ohmic contact, and forming a cathode on said lateral ohmic contact, wherein the cathode is separated from the semiconductor mesa by a gap between the sidewall spacer of semiconductor mesa and the cathode, wherein the diode conducts a current from the top ohmic contact to the lateral ohmic contact in a conductive path that extends laterally across the first doped silicon carbide layer through a portion of the lateral ohmic contact of the first doped silicon carbide layer, and wherein the step of forming the top and lateral ohmic contacts (25, 33) comprises: - depositing a layer of silicon over the first doped silicon carbide layer, the semiconductor mesa, and the sidewall spacer; - removing the silicon from the sidewall spacer; - depositing a conductive metal over the semiconductor mesa, the sidewall spacer and at least a portion of the first doped silicon carbide layer; and - heating the silicon and metal to a temperature sufficient to react the silicon with the conductive metal. forming an intrinsic silicon carbide region and a silicon carbide region having a different conductivity type from said first doped silicon carbide layer of a semiconductor mesa on the first surface of the first doped silicon carbide layer, wherein said intrinsic silicon carbide region is located between said first doped silicon carbide layer and said silicon carbide region having a different conductivity type, depositing a nonconductive spacer material on sides of the semiconductor mesa from the top of the mesa to the first doped silicon carbide layer to form at least one sidewall spacer of the semiconductor mesa for preventing short circuiting within the diode by performing the steps of: depositing said nonconductive spacer material over the diode and then etching the nonconductive spacer material so that the nonconductive spacer material only covers the sides of the semiconductor mesa; forming a lateral ohmic contact on the first surface of the first doped silicon carbide layer, wherein the lateral ohmic contact is extending from said sidewall spacer across at least a portion of said first surface of said first doped silicon carbide layer; forming a top ohmic contact on the semiconductor mesa; forming a conductive metal anode on said top ohmic contact, and forming a cathode on said lateral ohmic contact, wherein the cathode is separated from the semiconductor mesa by a gap between the sidewall spacer of semiconductor mesa and the cathode, wherein the diode conducts a current from the top ohmic contact to the lateral ohmic contact in a conductive path that extends laterally across the first doped silicon carbide layer through a portion of the lateral ohmic contact of the first doped silicon carbide layer, and wherein the step of forming the top and lateral ohmic contacts (25, 33) comprises: - depositing a layer of silicon over the first doped silicon carbide layer, the semiconductor mesa, and the sidewall spacer; - removing the silicon from the sidewall spacer; - depositing a conductive metal over the semiconductor mesa, the sidewall spacer and at least a portion of the first doped silicon carbide layer; and - heating the silicon and metal to a temperature sufficient to react the silicon with the conductive metal. - depositing a layer of silicon over the first doped silicon carbide layer, the semiconductor mesa, and the sidewall spacer; - removing the silicon from the sidewall spacer; - depositing a conductive metal over the semiconductor mesa, the sidewall spacer and at least a portion of the first doped silicon carbide layer; and - heating the silicon and metal to a temperature sufficient to react the silicon with the conductive metal.