Photoinduced paramagnetic centers in amorphous silicon oxynitride

Room-temperature metastable paramagnetic point defects are created in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon oxynitride films by exposing the films to ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet illumination. We compare the response of films with low, intermediate, and high oxygen content. The defects include unpaired electrons on silicons bonded to nitrogen atoms (K centers), unpaired electrons on bridging nitrogens, and what appear to be overcoordinated nitrogen centers.