Patent ID: 7396759

Claim:
A method for protecting exposed metal interconnect surfaces in a process for making electronic components comprising: providing an integrated circuit structure which is in the process of being fabricated into a finished electronic component having an exposed metal surface of a metal layer; contacting a first reactant to said exposed metal surface, said first reactant selected from the group consisting of SiH 4 , CH 4 , and C x H y ; transforming a top portion of said exposed metal surface into a protective self-aligned buffer layer by reacting molecules of said first reactant with metal atoms of said metal layer such that said protective self-aligned buffer layer is formed entirely within said metal layer; contacting a second reactant to said protective self-aligned buffer layer, said second reactant comprising an excited gas selected from the group consisting of N 2 , NH 3 , CH 4 , C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 2 , C x H y , a gas from the family of methyl-substituted silanes, a gas from the family of methyl-substituted amines and HMDS; and transforming a top portion of said protective self-aligned buffer layer into a self-aligned dielectric cap layer selected from the group consisting of SiN x , SiC x , SiCN x , and amorphous C:H by reacting molecules of said second reactant with molecules of said protective self-aligned buffer layer.