Patent ID: 7012308

Claim:
A protection diode comprising: a silicon substrate of a first conductive type; a second conductive type impurity region on a surface of the silicon substrate; a first conductive type impurity region on the surface of the silicon substrate so as to surround the second conductive type impurity region, the first and second conductive type impurity regions being separated from each other by a separation area having a predetermined width, the separation area including an entirety of the area between the first and second conductive type impurity regions; an interlayer dielectric layer formed so as to cover the surface of the silicon substrate on which the first and second conductive type impurity regions are formed; a first metal interconnect layer formed over an entirety of the second conductive type impurity region and the separation area through the interlayer dielectric layer and electrically connected to the second conductive type impurity region through a first connecting hole formed in the interlayer dielectric layer; and a second metal interconnect layer formed so as to cover the first conductive type impurity region through the interlayer dielectric layer and electrically connected to the first conductive type impurity region through a second connecting hole formed in the interlayer dielectric layer.