Patent ID: 7749885

Claim:
A semiconductor processing method, comprising: forming a patterned electrically insulative material over a semiconductor substrate, the patterned electrically insulative material having openings extending therethrough, a first of the openings being a component pattern, and a second of the openings being an annulus pattern that surrounds a lateral periphery of the component pattern, the annulus pattern being spaced from the component pattern by a segment of the electrically insulative material; forming electrically conductive material over the patterned electrically insulative material and within the openings, said electrically conductive material comprising copper; removing the electrically conductive material from over the electrically insulative material to isolate an annulus comprising the electrically conductive material within the annulus pattern from a component comprising the electrically conductive material within the component pattern; forming a nickel-containing layer across the annulus and across the component; wherein a segment of the electrically insulative material is between the annulus of the electrically conductive material and the component; and further comprising: removing the segment prior to forming the nickel-containing layer; and forming the nickel-containing layer between the annulus and the component.