a method for fabricating polycrystalline silicon resistor structures includes steps directed to the provision of a polycrystalline silicon structure having a decreased width . in one embodiment , sidewall spacers are used to narrow a region in which the polycrystalline silicon resistors are formed . in an alternative embodiment , polycrystalline silicon resistors are formed as sidewall structures in a resistor region . use of either technique provides a reduced cross - section for the resistor structures , allowing shorter resistors to be used , or providing increased resistance for longer resistors .