A method of fabricating a dielectric film comprising atoms of Si, C, O and H (hereinafter SiCOH) that has improved insulating properties as compared with prior art dielectric films, including prior art SiCOH dielectric films that are not subjected to the inventive deep ultra-violet (DUV) is disclosed. The improved properties include reduced current leakage which is achieved without adversely affecting (increasing) the dielectric constant of the SiCOH dielectric film. In accordance with the present invention, a SiCOH dielectric film exhibiting reduced current leakage and improved reliability is obtained by subjecting an as deposited SiCOH dielectric film to a DUV laser anneal. The DUV laser anneal step of the present invention likely removes the weakly bonded C from the film, thus improving leakage current.