The characteristics of silicon oxynitride (SiON) films grown using neutral-beam and typical plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods are compared. Neutral-beam and plasma oxynitridation processes were performed using a nitrogen neutral beam at room temperature and a nitrogen plasma at 400 degrees C, respectively, using the same deposition system. The neutral beam was generated via the surface neutralization of the ions produced by the inductively coupled plasma. The physical and electrical properties were measured using metal-insulator-silicon structures. The plasma SiON films showed significant plasma-induced damage, while we demonstrate that the neutral beam method is suitable for growing SiON films at room temperature without plasma-induced damage or a high thermal budget.