US Patent 8400257 Via-less thin film resistor with a dielectric cap

The present disclosure is directed to a thin film resistor structure that includes a resistive element electrically connecting first conductor layers of adjacent interconnect structures. The resistive element is covered by a dielectric cap layer that acts as a stabilizer and heat sink for the resistive element. Each interconnect includes a second conductor layer over the first conductive layer. The thin film resistor includes a chromium silicon resistive element covered by a silicon nitride cap layer.