SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING EXTERNAL ELECTRODES BONDED TO ELECTRODES ON A SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE AND METHOD OF FABRICATING SUCH A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Disclosed is a semiconductor device wherein among elements forming brazing material for bonding an electrode (21, 22) on a semiconductor substrate (2) to an external electrode (11, 12), the amounts of elements reacting with the material of electrode (21, 22) or external electrode (11, 12) and forming a compound harder and more brittle than the electrode material are smaller on the portion contacting the electrode (21,22) or external electrode (11, 12) than at other portions. A fabrication method of such device is also disclosed, involving the steps of laminating and depositing an at least two-layered metallic layer (140, 150) on the surface of the electrode (21, 22) on the substrate (2) or the surface of the external electrode (11, 12), bringing the electrodes (21, 22; 11, 12) into intimate contact with each other while opposing one another, and bonding them together by force of pressure applied to both electrodes (21, 22; 11, 12) while being heated close to an eutectic temperature of an alloy consisting of the metals of the uppermost and subsequent layers (140, 150), immediately therebelow, of the metallic layer (140, 150).