A semiconductor chip (1) comprises a p-doped region (I) having a cladding layer (18) and a contact layer (21) between which a first interlayer (19) and a second interlayer (20) are arranged. A concentration of a first material component (B) within the first and the second interlayer (19, 20) changes in such a way that the band gap varies in a range lying between the band gap of the cladding layer (18) and the band gap of the contact layer (21). A method for producing a semiconductor chip of this type is also disclosed.