A method of processing a high K gate dielectric includes growing a high quality silicon dioxide layer at the silicon interface followed by deposition of a metal layer, which is then diffused into the silicon dioxide. Preferred metals include zirconium and hafnium. A gate stack may be fabricated by adding a metal containing layer to an existing thermally grown SiO2 or a combination of SiO2, SiO3 and SiO4 (oxide-nitride or oxynitride) stacks.