It is shown that the degradation of theC‐Vproperties of the SiO2/Si interface caused by low‐energy ion bombardment may be completely removed by annealing to temperatures of 900 °C or higher. The low‐energy ion bombardment, however, also causes damage to the dielectric strength of the SiO2. This damage only partially anneals out, even at the highest annealing temperatures. Annealing to temperatures between 400 °C and 600 °C apparently removes allC‐Vdamage, as measured at room temperature, but bias‐temperature instabilities, which require the higher temperature for their removal, remain. Annealing of any oxide to temperatures in the range 700–850 °C is not recommended, as it may introduce instabilities independent of ion bombardment. The same annealing procedure is required for 50, 500, and 1400 eV ion bombardment, leading to the conclusion that, in terms of ion bombardment damage, low‐voltage sputtering gives no advantage over high‐voltage sputtering. The dielectric breakdown damage is also independent of the ion energy in the range of 50–1500 V used in this study. We conclude that since all dielectric breakdown damage is not annealable, a method of prevention of oxide charge buildup during backsputtering is essential if this technique is to be used on insulating substrates. Appropriate choice of rf backsputtering voltage as a function of the insulator film thickness can significantly reduce or eliminate the bulk dielectric degradation.