Stable photoinduced paramagnetic defects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride

Room-temperature stable paramagnetic defects have been induced in hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride films by exposure to sub-band-gap ultraviolet light. These defects are almost certainly trivalent silicon centers which can be completely annealed at temperatures higher than 250°C. These defects seem similar in chemical origin to light-induced centers in hydrogenated amorphous silicon and defects in irradiated metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors.