Encapsulation of conductive lines of semiconductor devices

The invention relates to a method of encapsulating conductive lines of semiconductor devices and a structure thereof. An encapsulating protective material, such as TaN, Ta, Ti, TiN, or combinations thereof is disposed over conductive lines of a semiconductor device. The encapsulating protective material protects the conductive lines from harsh etch chemistries when a subsequently deposited material layer is patterned and etched. The encapsulating protective material is conductive and may be left remaining in the completed semiconductor device. The encapsulating material is patterned using a masking material, and processing of the semiconductor device is then continued. The masking material may be left remaining in the structure as part of a subsequently deposited insulating material layer.