In this work, the effect of nitrogen implantation on thin La2O3 films grown by e-beam evaporation are investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The amount of nitrogen incorporation in the oxide film by plasma immersion ion-implantation (PIII) is found to be quite low (about 3% near the surface). However, introduction of nitrogen atoms into La2O3 network results in a significant reduction in the oxide traps and leads to a notable improvement in both material and electrical properties of the dielectric. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.