The invention generally provides an apparatus and a method of removing metal oxides, particularly copper oxides and aluminum oxides, from a substrate surface. Primarily, the invention eliminates sputtering of copper oxide from the bottom of an interconnect feature onto the side walls of an interconnect feature, thereby preventing diffusion of the copper atom through the dielectric material and degradation of the device. The invention also eliminates sputtering of the copper oxides onto the chamber side walls that may eventually flake off and cause defects on the substrate. The method of reducing metal oxides from a substrate surface comprises placing the substrate within a plasma processing chamber, flowing a processing gas comprising hydrogen into the chamber, and maintaining a plasma of the processing gas within the chamber through inductive coupling. The method is preferably performed using a dual frequency etch chamber wherein adjustments are made in the processing gas flow, the RF powers and the exhaust pumping speeds to eliminate sputtering of the copper oxide and to maximize the reduction reaction.