Large remnant polarization and great reliability characteristics in W/HZO/W ferroelectric capacitors

In this work, the effect of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature on the ferroelectric polarization in zirconium-doped hafnium oxide (HZO) was studied. To maximize remnant polarization (2P r ), in-plane tensile stress was induced by tungsten electrodes under optimal RTA temperatures. We observed an increase in 2P r with RTA temperature, likely due to an increased proportion of the polar ferroelectric phase in HZO. The HZO capacitors annealed at 400°C did not exhibit any ferroelectric behavior, whereas the HZO capacitors annealed at 800°C became highly leaky and shorted for voltages above 1 V. On the other hand, annealing at 700 °C produced HZO capacitors with a record-high 2P r of ∼ 64 μ C cm −2 at a relatively high frequency of 111 kHz. These ferroelectric capacitors have also demonstrated impressive endurance and retention characteristics, which will greatly benefit neuromorphic computing applications.