The mechanism of plasma‐enhanced vapor deposition of silicon nitride is studied by varying process parameters, such as substrate temperature, rf power, reactant gas ratio, and total pressure. The film composition (Si, N, O, and H) is determined by electron microprobe and infrared analysis. From these analyses, it is established that the film composition is determined not only by the reactant gas ratio, but also by a combined function of the rf power and total pressure in terms of , with a system‐dependent factor. The dependence of film composition on can be related to the radical generation processes. The substrate temperature is found to affect the film composition as well. Greater substrate temperature produces films with less hydrogen and more nitrogen, and hence, higher density. The film dielectric property and plasma etching rate are both studied and found to be dependent on the film composition. Finally, a three‐step deposition mechanism, namely, radical generation, radical adsorption, and adatom rearrangement, is proposed to explain the reaction scheme, and an ion incorporation mechanism is proposed to explain the change of film physical properties.