Patent ID: 8013446

Claim:
An interconnect structure comprising: a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less, said dielectric material having at least one conductive material embedded within said dielectric material, said at least one conductive material having an upper surface that is co-planar with an upper surface of the dielectric material; and a nitrogen-containing noble metal cap located essentially on said upper surface of said at least one conductive material, said nitrogen-containing noble metal cap does not extend onto said upper surface of said dielectric material and no nitrogen-containing noble metal residues are present on the upper surface of said dielectric material, wherein said nitrogen-containing noble metal cap is selected from the group consisting of a bilayer structure including a top layer of a nitrogen-containing noble metal and a bottom layer consisting of at least one noble metal, a multilayered structure including more than two layers in which at least a top layer thereof includes a nitrogen-containing noble metal and a bottom layer thereof consists of at least one noble metal, and a structure including a gradient concentration of nitrogen which increases from a lower surface upperwards.