Reply to ‘‘Comments on ‘Electronic structure of hydrogentated and unhydrogentated amorphousSiNx(0≤x≤1.6): A photoemission study’ ’’

We show that the interpretation of the topmost peak in the valence-band spectra of silicon nitride as due to lone-pair electrons is correct. In a Comment, Sacher and McIntyre object to our interpretation of the topmost peak in the photoemission spectra of a-${\mathrm{Si}}_3$ ${\mathrm{N}}_4$ as due to N 2p lone-pair electrons. They also suggest that the Si 2p line was improperly deconvoluted by us. We answer their criticism in turn.