Patent ID: 7581314

Claim:
A method of forming a raised lower noble metal contact disposed on a substrate, comprising: a) embedding metal electrodes on said substrate; b) capping said metal electrodes with a first dielectric layer; c) depositing a second dielectric layer on said first dielectric layer; d) selectively reactive ion etching said first and said second dielectric layers to form a contact pattern therein, exposing said metal electrodes; e) depositing a refractory metal layer on top of said second dielectric layer; and f) depositing a blanket noble metal, said noble metal being shaped by a chemical-mechanical planarization process (CMP), stopping at said refractory metal; g) selectively removing said refractory metal in field areas, and stopping at said second dielectric layer; and h) removing said second dielectric layer by reactive ion etching stopping on said first dielectric layer, said noble metal contact being provided with a flat and smooth surface, said flat and smooth surface being formed by a hardmask stack over an organic release layer and etched to avoid micro-trenching to produce a flat and smooth contact recessed within a gap area.