Characterization of nitrogen-containing glasses by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Nitrogen incorporated into the matrix of oxide glasses substantially changes the physical properties of the glasses even with very low N content (1‑3 wt. %). These novel oxynitride materials are known to show improved electrical resistance, dielectric constant, and mechanical properties in comparison to N-free glasses. This behavior has been attributed to the substitution of bridging O by trivalent N, causing a higher degree of linkage in the matrix. We employed XPS to address the question of the chemical environment and coordination of N in Na20 • CaO • SiO2and Na20 • B203glasses. A splitting of the N (Is) core level by — 1.5 eV observed for both groups of materials, demonstrates the existence of two different structural states. The core levels of N (Is) found in the N-containing glasses differ from the positions of N(Is) in reference materials such as Si3N4, BN, SixOyNz, and B203• N suggesting a modified configuration. © 1986, American Vacuum Society. All rights reserved.