The present application discloses a semiconductor device with a carbon hard mask. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, conductive layers positioned on the substrate, a carbon hard mask layer positioned on the conductive layers, an insulating layer including a lower portion and an upper portion, and a conductive via positioned along the upper portion of the insulating layer and the carbon hard mask layer and positioned on one of the adjacent pair of the conductive layers. The lower portion is positioned along the carbon hard mask layer and positioned between an adjacent pair of the conductive layers, and the upper portion is positioned on the lower portion and on the carbon hard mask layer.