Electrically detected magnetic resonance study of stress‐induced leakage current in thin SiO2

A spin‐dependent trap‐assisted tunneling current has been detected in a thin (44.5 A) SiO2 film. An electron paramagnetic resonance signal, obtained from the tunnel current, provides the first microscopic information regarding the identity of defects responsible for stress‐induced leakage currents in thin SiO2. The observed electrically detected magnetic resonance spectrum is anisotropic and does not correspond to any of the commonly known defects in the Si/SiO2 system. The change in current is 2.4±0.3×10−7 at resonance, which we explain in terms of a spin‐dependent hopping process. Assuming that the signal corresponds to traps in the oxide, we estimate sensitivity to ∼1×109 defects/cm2.