Amorphous silicon-nitrogen, a-SiNx:Hy, thin films with optical gap in the range 2.0–5.2 eV have been deposited by 13.56 MHz ultra-high-vacuum plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system in SiH4+NH3 gas mixtures. Compositional, optical, dark and photoelectrical and defect characterizations have been performed in order to show that a-SiNx:Hy films can be applied in optoelectronic technology as wide band-gap semiconductor. A comparison between electronic properties of a-SiNx:Hy samples and device quality a-Si1−xCx:H films, already applied in electronic devices, has been carried out. Amorphous silicon-nitrogen films show high deposition rates, good controllability of optical gap, and electronic properties similar to high-quality silicon-carbon films. No doping effect of nitrogen atoms in tetrahedral configuration has been evidenced and spin density below 7×1017 cm−3 have been measured in a-SiNx:Hy films with optical gap as high as 5.2 eV.

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