Patent ID: 7811840

Claim:
A method of forming a diode, comprising: forming a structure that comprises a surface; oxidizing said surface to convert the surface to an oxide, a portion of the structure not being oxidized and being at least a part of a first electrode; depositing one or more electrically insulative layers across the oxide; forming a second electrode over said one or more layers; wherein the first electrode, oxide; one or more layers, and second electrode together form a construction that conducts current between the first and second electrodes when voltage of one polarity is applied to the construction, and that inhibits current flow between the first and second electrodes when voltage having a polarity opposite to said one polarity is applied to the construction; and wherein: the forming the structure comprises physical vapor deposition of tantalum silicide; the surface is silicon-rich relative to other regions of the structure; and the oxidizing forms the oxide to consist of silicon dioxide or TaSiO x , where “x” is greater than zero.