Hydrogen radical treatment for surface oxide removal from copper

Hydrogen radicals were used to remove the oxide layer of copper metal. Successful removal of the oxide layer was detected using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), where the visible color change has occurred after the treatment. Period of re-oxidization was further analyzed which then was compared to argon ion beam and fast atom beam (FAB) treatment. The approach has introduced a highly promising technique to remove oxide layers of metals.