Patent ID: 8828888

Claim:
A method, comprising: forming a final metallization layer of a metallization system of a semiconductor device in a first manufacturing environment, said metallization system being formed above a substrate comprising a plurality of die regions, said final metallization layer comprising contact regions having a copper-containing contact surface positioned in a layer of insulating material; forming a dielectric cap layer on and in contact with an upper surface of the layer of insulating material and on and in contact with the copper-containing contact surface, wherein the dielectric cap layer is comprised of silicon nitride or silicon carbide; forming a passivation layer stack above said final metallization layer and on and in contact with an upper surface of the dielectric cap layer; patterning said passivation layer stack and the dielectric cap layer so as to form an opening through the passivation layer stack and the dielectric cap layer and that exposes a portion of said copper-containing contact surface of each of said contact regions; performing a conformal deposition process to form a protection liner layer on said exposed portion of said copper-containing contact surface of each of said contact regions and on an upper surface of the patterned passivation layer stack an on the patterned dielectric cap layer prior to processing said semiconductor device in a second manufacturing environment that is remote from said first manufacturing environment; and removing said protection liner layer at least from above said previously exposed portion of said copper-containing contact surface in said second manufacturing environment by performing a wet chemical etch process, wherein said wet chemical etch process is performed in the absence of a photoresist etch mask.