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Title: Mixed Al and Si doping in ferroelectric HfO{sub 2} thin films

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4937588· OSTI ID:22486242
;  [1];  [2];  [3]; ;  [4];  [5]
  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States)
  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States)
  3. Analytical Instrumentation Center, College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27696 (United States)
  4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27696 (United States)
  5. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States)

Ferroelectric HfO{sub 2} thin films 10 nm thick are simultaneously doped with Al and Si. The arrangement of the Al and Si dopant layers within the HfO{sub 2} greatly influences the resulting ferroelectric properties of the polycrystalline thin films. Optimizing the order of the Si and Al dopant layers led to a remanent polarization of ∼20 μC/cm{sup 2} and a coercive field strength of ∼1.2 MV/cm. Post-metallization anneal temperatures from 700 °C to 900 °C were used to crystallize the Al and Si doped HfO{sub 2} thin films. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction detected differences in peak broadening between the mixed Al and Si doped HfO{sub 2} thin films, indicating that strain may influence the formation of the ferroelectric phase with variations in the dopant layering. Endurance characteristics show that the mixed Al and Si doped HfO{sub 2} thin films exhibit a remanent polarization greater than 15 μC/cm{sup 2} up to 10{sup 8} cycles.

OSTI ID:
22486242
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 24; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English