We have investigated the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure to boron doped (p-type) hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (p-a-SiO:H) thin semiconductor films by measuring changes in its structural, electrical and optical properties. After a 50 h of UV light soaking (LS) of the films, that have 1.2, 6.9, 15.2, 25.3 at.% oxygen content (C(O)) and optical gap (E-04) of 1.897, 2.080, 2.146 and 2.033 eV, show a relative increase in the C(O) by 28.0%, 9.8%, 2.0%, 3.1%, a relative increase in the Urbach energy (E-u) by 42%, 24%, 8%, 0%, decrease in the E-04 by 66, 2, 12, 19 meV and the gap state defect density (N-d) show an increase by 6.5%, 3.4%, 0.7%, 0.1%. At higher oxygen content the observed UV light induced degradation (LID) is relatively less than that for films with lower oxygen content, indicating that higher oxides face less changes under the UV light. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.