Abstract: A magnetic field sensitive diode including a silicon body, an n-injecting contact electrode and a p-injecting contact electrode located at spaced portions of the body, the body having opposed parallel surfaces having different recombination rates with respect to pairs of free charge carriers, the surface having the lower recombination rate consisting of silicon dioxide, the n-injecting contact electrode consisting of diffused in lithium, with substantially all of the acceptors in the silicon body being compensated by incorporated lithium ions, the silicon dioxide surfaces being essentially free of lithium. The invention also relates to a method of producing the improved structure.