A spin dependent recombination study of radiation induced defects at and near the Si/SiO2 interface

A novel electron spin resonance technique, spin-dependent recombination (SDR), permits extremely rapid, high-signal-to-noise-ratio electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements of electrically active radiation damage centers in (relatively) hard MOS transistors in integrated circuits. SDR was used to observe the radiation-induced buildup of P_bo and E´ centers at relatively low concentration in individual MOSFETs in integrated circuits with (100) silicon surface orientation. Earlier ESR studies of extremely large (~1 cm²) capacitor structures have identified P_b and E´ centers as the dominant radiation-induced defects in MOS devices. The present results extend and confirm these earlier results and at least qualitatively answer objections to the earlier work related to the relevance of large capacitor studies to transistors in an integrated circuit