Sub-Microsecond Polarization Switching in (Al,Sc)N Ferroelectric Capacitors Grown on Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Compatible Aluminum Electrodes

The frequency-dependent ferroelectric properties of 45 nm (Al,Sc)N films sputter deposited on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible Al metal electrodes are measured and compared. Low in-plane compressive stress (-10 +/- 20 MPa) is observed in (Al,Sc)N thin films deposited on Al electrodes. The (Al,Sc)N films exhibit an imprint in the measured coercive fields (E-c) of -4.3/+5.3 MV cm(-1) at 10 kHz. Utilizing positive-up negative-down (PUND) measurements, ferroelectric switching is observed within approximate to 200 ns of an applied voltage pulse, which demonstrates the ability of ferroelectric (Al,Sc)N to achieve the fast read/write speeds desired in memory devices.

Automated summary

The study measured and compared the frequency-dependent ferroelectric properties of 45 nm (Al,Sc)N films sputter deposited on CMOS-compatible Al metal electrodes, showing low in-plane compressive stress and an imprint in coercive fields at 10 kHz. Utilizing PUND measurements, ferroelectric switching was observed within approximately 200 ns of applied voltage pulse, demonstrating the ability of (Al,Sc)N to achieve fast read/write speeds in memory devices.