As conventional SiO₂ gate dielectric is being replaced by high-k materials, a high-k removal process selective towards the Si substrate should be developed. High-k can be removed dry or wet. Dry removal (by plasma etch) is anisotropic (do not create an undercut in the high-k layer under the gate) but might damage the Si substrate. Wet removal could bring little or no damage to the substrate but creates an undercut due to its isotropic nature. Moreover, a crystallized (upon anneal) high-k can be hardly removed by wet treatment. For the Hf-based high-k materials (HfO₂ and Hf silicate with various Hf content) we propose a combined removal approach: first the high-k is etched away partially dry (down to approx. 1 nm) by BCl₃ plasma, then the remaining plasma damaged layer is removed wet by an HF/HCl water solution. Such an approach combines advantages of both dry and wet removal techniques.