Patent ID: 7338908

Claim:
A method of depositing a metal-containing capping layer on metal portions of a substrate containing a layer of metal and dielectric, the method comprising: (a) receiving the substrate containing the layer of metal and dielectric; (b) wet etching metal from the substrate from a position above or coplanar with an upper level of dielectric to a position below the upper level of exposed dielectric in the layer by contacting the substrate with a wet etching solution, wherein the etching solution oxidizes the metal of the substrate to a metal oxide, further comprising removing the metal oxide so that the exposed metal portions attain said position below the upper level of the exposed dielectric, wherein oxidizing the metal of the substrate to a metal oxide and removing the metal oxide takes place in one etching solution; and (c) forming the capping layer on at least exposed metal portions of the substrate by electroless deposition.