Methods of nitridation and selective oxidation are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of selectively forming an oxide layer on a semiconductor structure disposed on a substrate support in a process chamber is provided, wherein the semiconductor structure comprising a substrate, one or more metal-containing layers, and one or more non metal-containing layers. The method may include forming a first remote plasma from a first process gas comprising oxygen; and exposing the semiconductor structure to a reactive species formed from the first remote plasma to selectively form an oxide layer on the one or more non metal-containing layers, wherein a density of the reactive species is about 109 to about 1017 molecules/cm3 and wherein a pressure in the chamber during exposure of the first layer is about 5 mTorr to about 3 Torr.