Damage-Induced Ferroelectricity in HfOx-Based Thin Film

In the last decade, a surge in research on hafnium oxide (HfO _x )-based ferroelectricity has become a significant part of the semiconductor research trend. In this work, we present a new factor, that is, process damage to the HfO _x -based ferroelectric implementation. By reversely exploiting harmful damage in the metal-oxide-semiconductor process, the ferroelectricity in HfO _x is improved by eliciting early amorphization suitable for orthorhombic phase formation. In addition, through various pulsed polarization measurements, it is found that the damaged HfO _x film has a fast polarization switching speed, with an initial pinning site that is suitable for domain wall growth motion; advantageous for high-performance memory applications.