Deep insights into Interface Effects to achieve Low-voltage Operation (<1.2V), Low Process Temperature, and First-Principle Calculation

Abstract

To address the strategy of interface effects to achieve low-voltage operation in ferroelectric devices, this work presents a systematical study on Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 ferroelectric(FE) capacitors. Firstly, by detail electrical characterization of P-V curves under varied electrodes and ambient gas, two factors governed ferroelectric switching can be well distinguished. Then by combining the kinetical pulse measurements and first-principle calculation, it is found that, 1) the intrinsic dead-layer effect exits in nanocapacitors; 2) the ferroelectric domain switching speed and coherency can be boosted via lower thermal budget O2 treatment. Finally, a material with coherency and ultra-low access voltage as design guideline for sub-3nm technology eNVM is provided.