Methods and devices for subtractive self-alignment

A processing tool comprising:

• a central transfer station comprising a robot configured to move a wafer, the wafer continuously under vacuum and not exposed to ambient air;
• and
• a plurality of process stations, each process station connected to the central transfer station and providing a processing region separated from processing regions of adjacent process stations, the plurality of process stations comprising a first physical vapor deposition chamber and a second physical vapor deposition chamber;
• a controller connected to the central transfer station and the plurality of process stations, the controller configured to activate the robot to move the wafer between the first physical vapor deposition chamber and the second physical vapor deposition chamber without breaking vacuum, and to control a process occurring in each of the process stations,
• wherein the controller controls a first process comprising depositing an etch stop layer on a substrate by physical vapor deposition in the first physical vapor deposition chamber at a temperature in a range of from about 200° C. to about 300° C., and
• wherein the controller controls a second process comprising in situ depositing a metal layer on the etch stop layer by flowing a plasma processing gas into the second physical vapor deposition chamber at a temperature in a range of from about 200° C. to about 450° C. and exciting the plasma processing gas into a plasma to deposit the metal layer on the etch stop layer on the substrate.