The application of a 300 nm thick platinum silicide (PtSi) layer at the place of the anode contact layer of a soft recovery 2.5 kV/100 A high-power P-i-N diode brought a reduction of the forward voltage drop at several tens percent (for the rating current of 100 A) compared to that of the conventional aluminum and Ti-Ni-Ag layers. This enabled us to greatly improve the trade-off curve between the ON-state and turn-OFF losses of the diode subjected to helium irradiation into the anode and anode junction region. The application of PtSi layers thus opens a new way for the improvement of power devices. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.