Search

Ferroelectricity in crystalline hafnium oxide thin films is strongly investigated for the application in non-volatile memories, sensors and other applications. Especially for back-end-of-line (BEoL) integration the decrease of crystallization temperature is of major importance. However, an alternative method for inducing ferroelectricity in amorphous or semi-crystalline hafnium zirconium oxide films is presented here, using the newly discovered effect of electric field-induced crystallization in hafnium oxide films. When applying this method, an outstanding remanent polarization value of 2P R = 47 μ C/cm 2 is achieved for a 5 nm thin film. Besides the influence of Zr content on the film crystallinity, the reliability of films crystallized with this effect is explored, highlighting the controlled crystallization, excellent endurance and long-term retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present the capacitance–voltage (${C}$ – ${V}$) characteristics of HfxZr1−xO2 metal–ferroelectric–metal (MFM) thin-film capacitors with various Zr doping, thicknesses, and annealing temperatures. The influence of doping, electric field cycling, and annealing temperature on tuning characteristics (tunability) was analyzed and an optimized bias region for the maximum tunability was defined. Additional focus was made on an antiferroelectric-like (AFE) behavior, which occurs for > 50% Zr doping. The presence of both the ferroelectric and the AFE phase manifests itself in specific ${C}$ – ${V}$ behavior, where a reduced bias range is required for tuning, however, at the cost of a smaller tunability. The suitability of this behavior for varactor applications is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back-End-of-Line Compatible Low-Temperature Furnace Anneal for Ferroelectric Hafnium Zirconium Oxide Formation B Hafnium Zirconium Oxide Films b So far, the ferroelectric phase of prior amorphous hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) films is achieved by using rapid thermal annealing. In article number 1900840 by David Lehninger and co-workers, it is shown that a dedicated annealing step is not needed for the integration of ferroelectric HZO films into the back-end-of-line of integrated circuits. [Extracted from the article]