One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for decreasing a temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of a MEMS resonator. The method comprises lithographically defining slots in the MEMS resonator beams and filling the slots with oxide. By growing oxide within the slots, the amount of oxide growth on the outside surfaces of the MEMS resonator may be reduced. Furthermore, by situating the slots in the areas of large flexural stresses, the contribution of the embedded oxide to the overall TCF of the MEMS resonator is increased, and the total amount of oxide needed to decrease the overall TCF of the MEMS resonator to a particular target value is reduced. As a result, the TCF of the MEMS resonator may be reduced in a manner that is more effective relative to prior art approaches.