Control of intrinsic ferroelectricity and structural phase in pure HfO2 films via crystalline orientation

Abstract The ferroelectricity of hafnia-based thin films has garnered considerable attention in both academic researches and industrial applications. However, the fundamental properties, such as high coercivity, the wake-up effect, and the mechanism of ferroelectricity have not been fully elucidated. Here we report the crystallization orientation control of structural phase and ferroelectricity in pure HfO2 thin films. Both (001)- and (111)-oriented HfO2 thin films exhibit a mixture of ferroelectric orthorhombic and non-ferroelectric monoclinic phases. With decreasing film thickness, the orthorhombic phase ratio increases for both orientations, with a consistently higher proportion for (111)-oriented film. Consequently, the ferroelectricity is significantly enhanced in thinner (111)-oriented film. Remarkably, both (001)- and (111)-oriented pure HfO2 thin films demonstrate an intrinsic ferroelectricity. Moreover, the coercive field of the (001)-oriented film appears to be lower than that of the (111)-oriented film. Additionally, oxygen ions migrate more easily in the (001)-oriented film, which exhibits distinct electronic structure and local atomic ordering compared to the (111)-oriented film. These results provide valuable insights into the ferroelectricity of HfO2 and suggest that crystalline orientation is an effective approach to explore the ferroelectric properties in hafnia-based films.