US Patent 7476618 Selective formation of metal layers in an integrated circuit

A method for enhancing the reliability of copper interconnects and/or contacts, such as the bottom of vias exposing top surfaces of buried copper, or at the top of copper lines just after CMP. The method comprises contacting the exposed copper surface with a vapor phase compound of a noble metal and selectively forming a layer of the noble metal on the exposed copper surface, either by a copper replacement reaction or selective deposition (e.g., ALD or CVD) of the noble metal.