Silicon nitride thin films have been deposited via distributed electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, without intentional substrate heating, using SiH4 and N-2 gas mixtures. The effects of N-2/SiH4 gas flow (1.5-19) and microwave power (800-1500 W) on deposition rate, refractive index, composition, chemical bonds, and etch rate were studied by ellipsometry, MeV ion beam analysis techniques, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Ail parameters examined indicate that a highly diluted SiH4 gas phase and a microwave power of 1500 W help to prepare quasistoichiometric films with a high density (2.9 g/cm(3)) and a refractive index of 1.98. The effects of film density and film stoichiometry (N/Si) on refractive index are discussed through the Lorentz-Lorenz relation, The first electric results show that, under the optimized deposition parameters, a critical field of 2.3 MV/cm and an interface state density of 5 x 10(10) eV(-1) cm(-2) can be achieved.