Compositional dependence of crystallization temperatures and phase evolution in hafnia-zirconia (HfxZr1−x)O2 thin films

Polymorphic (HfxZr1−x)O2 (HZO) thin films exhibit ferroelectric, dielectric, and antiferroelectric properties across a wide compositional range due to the existence of orthorhombic, monoclinic, and tetragonal phases. To better understand the phase stability across the HfO2–ZrO2 compositional range, we investigate the structural evolution of HZO thin films in situ via high-temperature x-ray diffraction (HTXRD) for five different compositions [ZrO2, (Hf0.23Zr0.77)O2, (Hf0.43Zr0.57)O2, (Hf0.67Zr0.33)O2, and HfO2]. The real-time monitoring of HZO crystallization reveals a competing driving force between the tetragonal and monoclinic phase stabilities for HfO2-rich vs ZrO2-rich compositions. Additionally, we confirm an XRD peak shift toward lower 2θ with increasing temperature in ZrO2, (Hf0.23Zr0.77)O2, and (Hf0.43Zr0.57)O2 films, which we ascribe to the appearance of a metastable orthorhombic phase during heating. A monotonic trend for the onset crystallization temperature is reported for five compositions of HZO and reveals an increase in onset crystallization temperature for HfO2-rich compositions. Relative intensity fraction calculations suggest a higher fraction of monoclinic phase with increasing annealing temperature for (Hf0.67Zr0.33)O2. This study of phase stability and onset crystallization temperatures offers insight for managing the thermal budget for HZO thin films, especially for temperature-constrained processing.