PURPOSE: To prevent the short-circuit and insulation faultiness which are generated between the cathode and gate electrodes of a semiconductor element, by forming its cathode metallic electrode out of the metallic films of at least two layers, and by making the layer neighbored to its cathode region out of such a hard metal as tungsten, and further, by making the layer neighbored to its external pressure-welding electrode out of such a soft metal as aluminium.

CONSTITUTION: A cathode electrode 16 is formed out of the two layers comprising a hard metal layer 16a present on an N-type emitter region side and a soft metal layer 16b present on a pressure-welding surface side. Still, the hard metal layer 16a is made of tungsten, molybdenum, titanium or the like, and the soft metal layer 16b is made of aluminium or the like. The bending and uneven pressure of the pressure- welding surface which are generated in case of the pressure-welding of metallic layers, etc., are relaxed by the plastic deformation of the soft metal layer 16b of the cathode metallic electrode. Also, even when the uneven pressure exceeds a certain fixed level, the plastic deformation is not generated by virtue of the hard metal layer 16a which is hard to be deformed plastically. Thereby, the short-circuit and insulation faultiness which are generated between the cathode and gate metallic electrodes of a semiconductor element are prevented.