Interconnects separated by a dielectric region formed using removable sacrificial plugs

A structure comprising:

• an interlayer dielectric layer;
• a first interconnect feature in a first interconnect opening in the interlayer dielectric layer;
• a second interconnect feature in a second interconnect opening in the interlayer dielectric layer, the second interconnect feature aligned along a longitudinal axis with the first interconnect feature;
• and
• a dielectric region laterally arranged between a portion of the first interconnect feature and a portion of the second interconnect feature,
• wherein the portion of the first interconnect feature and the portion of the second interconnect feature are separated along the longitudinal axis by a spacing equal to a dimension of the dielectric region, the first interconnect feature and the second interconnect feature have a first width in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the dielectric region has a second width that is substantially equal to the first width, the interlayer dielectric layer is comprised of a first dielectric material, and the dielectric region is comprised of a second dielectric material having a different composition than the first dielectric material.