Zirconium-doped hafnium oxide based ferroelectric materials for memory applications

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
As data processing and storage needs continue to grow at a rapid pace, the development of innovative memory technologies is crucial. The discovery of ferroelectricity in hafnia (HfO2)-based materials has garnered significant attention in both academia and industry, owing to their potential to revolutionize non-volatile memory (NVM) technology and enable novel computing architectures. HfO2-based ferroelectric materials offer advantages over conventional perovskite oxides, such as low-temperature synthesis and conformal growth in three-dimensional structures on silicon, making them compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and ideal for device scaling. However, several challenges still exist for implementing ferroelectric HfO2 in commercial products, such as polarization variation during cycling (wake-up effect), high operation voltage, compatibility with back-end-of-line (BEOL) processing temperatures, and low memory density. In this dissertation, I tackled the challenges outlined above. I began by focusing on the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) material itself and addressing the wake-up effect through the introduction of an HfO2 buffer layer at the HZO/electrode interface. Subsequently, I developed a new measurement setup capable of directly measuring individual nm-sized devices, which enabled investigating the scaling effect in HZO-based ferroelectric capacitors. Through my research, I was able to demonstrate excellent ferroelectricity and reliability in ultra-thin HZO (4 nm) capacitors with molybdenum (Mo) electrodes. These capacitors exhibited low operation voltage, wake-up-free behavior, high endurance, and low RTA temperatures, making them highly desirable for practical applications. I also studied the size scaling effect down to 65 nm × 45 nm devices, where I observed ultra-high remanent polarization (2Pr) for the first time at this scale. In addition to exploring two-dimensional scaling to improve density, I also proposed a hybrid structure for 4 bits/cell storage, increasing the multi-bit capability in a single cell.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource
Extent 1 online resource.
Place California
Place [Stanford, California]
Publisher [Stanford University]
Copyright date 2023; ©2023
Publication date 2023; 2023
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Author Huang, Fei, (Researcher in electrical engineering)
Degree supervisor Wong, S. Simon
Thesis advisor Wong, S. Simon
Thesis advisor McIntyre, Paul Cameron
Thesis advisor Wong, Hon-Sum Philip, 1959-
Degree committee member McIntyre, Paul Cameron
Degree committee member Wong, Hon-Sum Philip, 1959-
Associated with Stanford University, School of Engineering
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Electrical Engineering

Subjects

Genre Theses
Genre Text

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Fei Huang.
Note Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Thesis Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2023.
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/xf591sb3621

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2023 by Fei Huang
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

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