Silicon nitride thin films for use as passivation layers in solar cells and organic electronics or as gate dielectrics in thin-film transistors were deposited by the Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition technique at a high deposition rate (1-3 angstrom/s) and at low substrate temperature. Films were deposited using NH(3)/SiH(4) flow rate ratios between 1 and 70 and substrate temperatures of 100 degrees C and 250 degrees C. For NH(3)/SiH(4) ratios between 40 and 70, highly transparent (T similar to 90%), dense films (2.56-2.74 g/cm(3)) with good dielectric properties and refractive index between 1.93 and 2.08 were deposited on glass substrates. Etch rates in BHF of 2.7 angstrom/s and <0.5 angstrom/s were obtained for films deposited at 100 degrees C and 250 degrees C, respectively. Films deposited at both substrate temperatures showed electrical conductivity -10(-14) Omega(-1) cm(-1) and breakdown fields > 10 MV cm(-1). (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.