Patent ID: 8183145

Claim:
A method of forming contact structures, said method comprising: depositing a silicide layer on and in direct physical contact with a planar top substrate surface of a substrate, said silicide layer having a top surface; depositing an electrically insulating layer on and in direct physical contact with said top surface of said silicide layer, said insulating layer having a top surface; and forming an aluminum plug within the insulating layer, said forming the aluminum plug comprising: forming a via through said insulating layer, said via having a bottom defined by a portion of said top surface of said silicide layer, wherein said via extends from said top surface of said insulating layer to said top surface of said silicide layer, wherein said forming exposes said portion of said top surface of said silicide layer, said via having at least one vertical wall; depositing an electrically conductive layer onto said top surface of said insulating layer and inside said via, wherein said electrically conductive layer covers and is in direct physical contact with said portion of said top surface of the silicide layer and said at least one vertical wall of said via, said depositing the electrically conductive layer resulting in said electrically conductive layer having an essentially uniform thickness and having a vertically oriented external surface that is exposed and is perpendicular to the top substrate surface; removing said conductive layer from said top surface of said insulating layer and said bottom of said via, said conductive layer remaining on said at least one vertical wall of said via, resulting in said portion of said silicide layer being exposed and further resulting in the vertically oriented surface of the deposited conductive layer remaining exposed; and filling said via with aluminum, said aluminum in direct physical contact with said portion of said top surface of said silicide layer, said aluminum in direct physical contact with all of said vertically oriented surface of the deposited conductive layer, said aluminum in said via being said aluminum plug, wherein said filling said via with aluminum is performed after said removing is performed, said aluminum plug having a thickness not exceeding 25 nanometers in a direction perpendicular to the top substrate surface.