Semiconductor Device and Method

A device comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate;
• a first inter-layer dielectric (ILD) over the semiconductor substrate;
• a first conductive feature extending through the first ILD;
• a first etch stop layer over the first conductive feature and the first ILD, the first etch stop layer being a first dielectric material;
• a second ILD over the first etch stop layer;
• a contact having a first portion extending through the second ILD and a second portion extending through the first etch stop layer, the contact being physically and electrically coupled to the first conductive feature;
• and
• a first protective layer surrounding the second portion of the contact, the first portion of the contact being free from the first protective layer, the first protective layer being a second dielectric material, the second dielectric material being different from the first dielectric material.

A device comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate;
• a first conductive feature over the semiconductor substrate;
• a first etch stop layer over the first conductive feature, the first etch stop layer being a first dielectric material;
• an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) over the first etch stop layer;
• and
• a contact having a first portion extending through the ILD and a second portion extending through the first etch stop layer, the contact being physically and electrically coupled to the first conductive feature,
• wherein the first portion of the contact has a first width, the second portion of the contact has a second width, the second width is larger than the first width by a first distance, and the first distance is in a range of 1 nm to 9 nm.