Patent ID: 7514361

Claim:
A method of forming metal caps over metal lines, said method comprising: patterning a dielectric layer to form wire pattern recesses in said dielectric; depositing liners within said wire pattern recesses; depositing copper over said liners to fill said wire pattern recesses with copper lines; planarizing a top of said dielectric and said copper lines; depositing a metal blanket film on said dielectric and said copper lines; depositing a photoresist on said dielectric cap; blanket exposing all portions of said photoresist without using a mask; developing and rinsing said photoresist to remove portions of said photoresist and leave patterned portions of said photoresist only over said copper lines; and removing portions of said metal blanket film not positioned below said patterned portions of said photoresist to pattern said metal blanket film into metal caps above said copper lines.