Nonvolatile memory cells from hafnium zirconium oxide ferroelectric tunnel junctions using Nb and NbN electrodes

Haglund-Peterson, Jessica; Aronson, Benjamin L.; Jaszewski, Samantha T.; Habermehl, Scott; Esteves, Giovanni; Conley, Jr., John F.; Ihlefeld, Jon F.; Henry, M. David

doi:10.1063/5.0191757

Title: Nonvolatile memory cells from hafnium zirconium oxide ferroelectric tunnel junctions using Nb and NbN electrodes

Journal Article · 03 March 2024 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0191757 · OSTI ID:2331264

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Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (United States); Penn State
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (United States)

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) utilizing hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) have attracted interest as non-volatile memory for microelectronics due to ease of integration into back-end-of-line (BEOL) complementary metal oxide semiconductor fabrication. This work examines asymmetric electrode NbN/HZO/Nb devices with 7 nm thick HZO as FTJs in a memory structure, with an output resistance that can be controlled by read and write voltages. The individual FTJs are measured to have a tunneling electroresistance of 10 during the read state without significant filament conduction formation and reasonable ferroelectric performance. Endurance and remanent polarizations of up to 10⁵ cycles and 20 μC/cm², respectively, are measured and are shown to be dependent on the cycling voltage. Electrical measurements demonstrate how magnitude of the write pulse can modulate the high state resistance and the read pulse influences both resistance values as well as separation of resistance states. Then, by using two opposite switching FTJ devices in series, a programmable nonvolatile resistor divider is demonstrated. Measurements of these two FTJ unit memory cells show wide applicability to a BEOL microfabrication process for a re-readable, rewritable, and nonvolatile memory cell.

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

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0021118; NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 2331264

Journal Information:: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 135; ISSN 0021-8979

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

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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