Embodiments of the present invention generally provide a method for forming a dielectric material with reduced bonding defects on a substrate. In one embodiment, the method comprises forming a dielectric layer having a desired thickness on a surface of a substrate, exposing the substrate to a low energy plasma comprising a fluorine source gas to form a fluorinated dielectric layer on the substrate without etching the dielectric layer, and forming a gate electrode on the substrate. In certain embodiments, the fluorine source gas is a carbon free gas. In certain embodiments, the method further comprises co-flowing a gas selected from the group consisting of argon, helium, N2, O2, and combinations thereof with the fluorine source gas.