METHOD FOR A DIRECT BURIED STRAP FOR SAME LEVEL INTERCONNECTIONS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

A method and apparatus for forming a direct buried strap for a semiconductor device, in accordance with the present invention, includes forming a gate stack on a semiconductor substrate, and forming a protective layer on sidewalls of the gate stack. The protective layer extends horizontally over a portion of the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the gate stack. A conductive layer is formed over the protective layer and in contact with a gate conductor of the gate stack and in contact with a diffusion region formed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the gate conductor. A dielectric layer is formed over the conductive layer, and the dielectric layer is patterned to expose a portion of the conductive layer. The portion of the conductive layer which is exposed includes a portion of the conductive layer over the gate conductor and a portion of the substrate adjacent to the gate conductor. The exposed areas of the conductive layer are silicided to form a direct buried strap and a silicided diffusion region in the substrate. The direct buried strap electrically connects the gate conductor to the diffusion region in a same level of the semiconductor device.