Ferroelectrics everywhere: Ferroelectricity in magnesium substituted zinc oxide thin films

Ferri, Kevin; Bachu, Saiphaneendra; Zhu, Wanlin; Imperatore, Mario; Hayden, John; Alem, Nasim; Giebink, Noel; Trolier-McKinstry, Susan; Maria, Jon-Paul

doi:10.1063/5.0053755

Title: Ferroelectrics everywhere: Ferroelectricity in magnesium substituted zinc oxide thin films

Journal Article · 21 July 2021 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0053755 · OSTI ID:1809251

^[1];

^[2];

^[2]; Alem, Nasim ^[2];

^[2];

^[2]; Maria, Jon-Paul ^[2]

Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Penn State University
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

We demonstrate ferroelectricity in Mg-substituted ZnO thin films with the wurtzite structure. Zn_1–xMg_xO films are grown by dual-cathode reactive magnetron sputtering on (111)-Pt // (0001)-Al₂O₃ substrates at temperatures ranging from 26 to 200 °C for compositions spanning from x = 0 to x = 0.37. X-ray diffraction indicates a decrease in the c-lattice parameter and an increase in the a-lattice parameter with increasing Mg content, resulting in a nearly constant c/a axial ratio of 1.595 over this composition range. Transmission electron microscopy studies show abrupt interfaces between Zn_1–xMg_xO films and the Pt electrode. When prepared at pO₂ = 0.025, film surfaces are populated by abnormally oriented grains as measured by atomic force microscopy for Mg concentrations >29%. Raising pO₂ to 0.25 eliminates the misoriented grains. Optical measurements show increasing bandgap values with increasing Mg content. When prepared on a 200 °C substrate, films display ferroelectric switching with remanent polarizations exceeding 100 μC cm^–2 and coercive fields below 3 MVcm^–1 when the Mg content is between ~30% and ~7%. Substrate temperature can be lowered to ambient conditions, and when doing so, capacitor stacks show only minor sacrifices to crystal orientation and nearly identical remanent polarization values; however, coercive fields drop below 2 MV/cm. Using ambient temperature deposition, we demonstrate ferroelectric capacitor stacks integrated directly with polymer substrate surfaces.

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Research Organization:: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0021118

OSTI ID:: 1809251

Journal Information:: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 130; ISSN 0021-8979

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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