Negative magnetoresistance in a low-k dielectric

We observed negative magnetoresistance in amorphous SiCOH, a low-k dielectric, applying modest magnetic fields (<150 Gauss) at room temperature. The conductivity increases with increasing magnetic field. The change in conductivity due to the applied magnetic field increases with electric field and has little or no temperature dependence over the range studied. The magnitude of the effect is independent of the orientation of magnetic field relative to the direction of current flow. The effect is attributed to spin constraints associated with double occupancy of a trap site under the assumption that trap sites which have double occupancy have lower hopping frequencies than traps that have single occupancy.