Enhanced Switching Reliability of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 Ferroelectric Films Induced by Interface Engineering

Huang, Fei; Saini, Balreen; Yu, Zhouchangwan; Yoo, Chanyoung; Thampy, Vivek; He, Xiaoqing; Baniecki, John D.; Tsai, Wilman; Meng, Andrew C.; McIntyre, Paul C.; Wong, Simon

doi:10.1021/acsami.3c08895

Enhanced Switching Reliability of Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ Ferroelectric Films Induced by Interface Engineering

Journal Article · Thu Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c08895· OSTI ID:2315703

^[1]; ^[2]; ^[2]; Yoo, Chanyoung ^[3]; Thampy, Vivek ^[4]; He, Xiaoqing ^[5]; Baniecki, John D. ^[4]; ^[2]; ^[5]; ^[3]; Wong, Simon ^[2]

Stanford University, CA (United States); Stanford University
Stanford University, CA (United States)
Stanford University, CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)

Ferroelectric materials have been widely researched for applications in memory and energy storage. Among these materials and benefiting from their excellent chemical compatibility with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) devices, hafnia-based ferroelectric thin films hold great promise for highly scaled semiconductor memories, including nonvolatile ferroelectric capacitors and transistors. However, variation in the switched polarization of this material during field cycling and a limited understanding of the responsible mechanisms have impeded their implementation in technology. Here, we show that ferroelectric Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ (HZO) capacitors that are nearly free of polarization “wake-up”─a gradual increase in switched polarization as a function of the number of switching cycles─can be achieved by introducing ultrathin HfO₂ buffer layers at the HZO/electrodes interface. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals crystallite sizes substantially greater than the film thickness for the buffer layer capacitors, indicating that the presence of the buffer layers influences the crystallization of the film (e.g., a lower ratio of nucleation rate to growth rate) during postdeposition annealing. This evidently promotes the formation of a polar orthorhombic (O) phase in the as-fabricated buffer layer samples. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the conversion of the nonpolar tetragonal (T) phase to the polar orthorhombic (O) phase during electric field cycling in the control (no buffer) devices, consistent with the polarization wake-up observed for these capacitors. The extent of T–O transformation in the nonbuffer samples is directly dependent on the duration over which the field is applied. Here these results provide insight into the role of the HZO/electrodes interface in the performance of hafnia-based ferroelectrics and the mechanisms driving the polarization wake-up effect.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); Semiconductor Research Corporation; National Science Foundation (NSF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515

OSTI ID:: 2315703

Journal Information:: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces Journal Issue: 43 Vol. 15; ISSN 1944-8244

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Field‐Induced Ferroelectric Phase Evolution During Polarization “Wake‐Up” in Hf _0.5 Zr _0.5 O ₂ Thin Film Capacitors

Journal Article · Wed Apr 19 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Advanced Electronic Materials · OSTI ID:1970785

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Enhanced Switching Reliability of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 Ferroelectric Films Induced by Interface Engineering

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Enhanced Switching Reliability of Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ Ferroelectric Films Induced by Interface Engineering