Patent ID: 8298902

Claim:
A method for fabricating a back-end-of-line (BEOL) interconnect structure and a passive element, the method comprising: forming a first conductive feature extending through a dielectric layer of a metallization level of the BEOL interconnect structure; in the absence of a mask layer on a top surface of the dielectric layer, recessing the top surface of the dielectric layer relative to a top surface of the first conductive feature; after the top surface of the dielectric layer is recessed, depositing a conductive material layer on the recessed top surface of the dielectric layer; forming a patterned photoresist layer on the conductive material layer; and selectively etching the conductive material layer in the presence of the patterned photoresist layer to form a portion of the passive element that has a top surface that is approximately coplanar with the top surface of the first conductive feature or below the top surface of the first conductive feature.