Ferroelectric Polarization-Switching Dynamics and Wake-Up Effect in Si-Doped HfO2

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b11681
• Publication Date: 2018-12-28T10:40:10Z
• Authors: Tae Yoon Lee; Kyoungjun Lee; Hong Heon Lim; Myeong Seop Song; Sang Mo Yang; Hyang Keun Yoo; Dong Ik Suh; Zhongwei Zhu; Alexander Yoon; Matthew R. MacDonald; Xinjian Lei; Hu Young Jeong; Donghoon Lee; Kunwoo Park; Jungwon Park; Seung Chul Chae
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 530; 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

The ferroelectricity in ultrathin HfO2 offers a viable alternative to ferroelectric memory. A reliable switching behavior is required for commercial applications; however, many intriguing features of this material have not been resolved. Herein, we report an increase in the remnant polarization after electric field cycling, known as the "wake-up" effect, in terms of the change in the polarization-switching dynamics of a Si-doped HfO2 thin film. Compared with a pristine specimen, the Si-doped HfO2 thin film exhibited a partial increase in polarization after a finite number of ferroelectric switching behaviors. The polarization-switching behavior was analyzed using the nucleation-limited switching model characterized by a Lorentzian distribution of logarithmic domain-switching times. The polarization switching was simulated using the Monte Carlo method with respect to the effect of defects. Comparing the experimental results with the simulations revealed that the wake-up effect in the HfO2 thin film is accompanied by the suppression of disorder.