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An apparatus and a method for photoreducing copper oxide layers from semiconductor wafers during the processes of forming interconnects in advanced IC manufacturing. The apparatus comprises a reaction chamber with a high intensity UV light source and a wafer holder in the chamber. The UV light sourc

An apparatus and a method for photoreducing copper oxide layers from semiconductor wafers during the processes of forming interconnects in advanced IC manufacturing. The apparatus comprises a reaction chamber with a high intensity UV light source and a wafer holder in the chamber. The UV light source is made of arrays of microdischarge devices fabricated on a semiconductor wafer where each of the microdischarge devices has the structure of a hollow cathode. Multiple arrays of microdischarge devices can be assembled together to make a planar UV lamp so as to provide a sufficient area for the UV illumination. The wafer holder in the chamber is made rotatable for a better uniformity during the photoreduction process. A non-oxidizing gas is flowed into the chamber to prevent instant and subsequent oxidation on the copper surface.

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We claim: 1. A method of processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: placing the semiconductor wafer on a wafer holder inside a reaction chamber, a top surface of the semiconductor wafer comprising a copper oxide layer; flowing a non-oxidizing gas into the chamber; and converting the copper oxide

We claim: 1. A method of processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: placing the semiconductor wafer on a wafer holder inside a reaction chamber, a top surface of the semiconductor wafer comprising a copper oxide layer; flowing a non-oxidizing gas into the chamber; and converting the copper oxide layer into a metallic copper layer by photoreducing the copper oxide layer by illuminating the copper oxide layer with a high intensity UV light from a high intensity planar UV lamp made of at least one array of microdischarge devices. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the wafer holder to increase process uniformity. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber is designed to process a single wafer at a time. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-oxidizing gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, neon, hydrogen and ammonia. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-oxidizing gas has a pressure in the range of 100 Torr to 1000 Torr. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the UV light has a wavelength shorter than 468 nm. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the UV light has an intensity in the range of 1 W/cm2 to 100 W/cm2. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: depositing a subsequent conductive layer to make a direct contact with the copper layer without exposing the semiconductor wafer to an oxidizing environment. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising rotating the wafer holder to increase process uniformity. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-oxidizing gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, neon, hydrogen and ammonia. 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-oxidizing gas has a pressure in the range of 100 Torr to 1000 Torr. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the wavelength of the UV light is shorter than 468 nm. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the UV lamp illuminates a surface area greater than the wafer. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the UV light has an intensity exceeding 50 W/cm2. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the UV light has a wavelength from 100 nm to 400 nm. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the microdischarge devices each comprise a hollow cathode having a diameter between 100 μm and 10 μm.