Influence of sputtering power on the switching and reliability of ferroelectric Al 0.7 Sc 0.3 N films

Abstract The sputtering power dependence of 40 nm thick Al 0.7 Sc 0.3 N ferroelectric properties was characterized from 200 to 300 W. X-ray rocking curve revealed higher orientated growth into the c -axis with higher sputtering power. Films formed by high power showed reduced leakage current with a higher breakdown field, enabling one to apply the high field for ferroelectric switching. A high remnant polarization ( P r ) of 130 μ C cm −2 was obtained with a coercive field ( E c ) of 6 MV cm −1 . The switching cycle test revealed a wake-up effect for all the films; increasing the leakage current and modifying the E c . We anticipate the change is attributed to the existence and the generation of nitrogen vacancies ( V N ) in the films.