The present disclosure provides an interconnect formed on a substrate and methods for forming the interconnect on the substrate. In one embodiment, the method for forming an interconnect on a substrate includes depositing a barrier layer on the substrate, depositing a transition layer on the barrier layer, and depositing an etch-stop layer on the transition layer, wherein the transition layer shares a common element with the barrier layer, and wherein the transition layer shares a common element with the etch-stop layer.