Stoichiometry, bonding configurations and structural properties of plasma-deposited hydrogen-rich amorphous carbon nitride a C12xNx :H (0,x,0.20) films have been investigated using infrared and Raman vibrational spectroscopies, along with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy at the C and N K-edges. With increasing N incorporation in a-C12xNx :H, the total H content decreases slightly and CH vibrations are progressively replaced by NH vibrations. The dominant bonding configuration is CvN throughout the composition range, although CvN and CN saturate above 10 N at. %, and CwN configurations steadily increase throughout the stoichiometry range. A strong conjugation of imine (CvN) and nitrile (CwN) groups with aromatic rings is evidenced while the Raman signature of the sp2 C phase indicates an increase in the D to G peak intensity ratio, related to some ordering of the sp2 clustered phase.
