Improved Charge-Trapping Characteristics of BaTiO3 by Zr Doping for Nonvolatile Memory Applications

The charge-trapping characteristics of BaTiO3 film with and without Zr incorporation were investigated based on Al/Al2O3/BaTiO3/SiO2/Si capacitors. Compared with the device without Zr incorporation, the one with Zr incorporation showed a similar memory window (8.3 V at +/- 12 V for 1 s), but higher program speed at low gate voltage (3.2 V at 100 mu s + 6 V) and better endurance and data retention (charge loss of 6.4% at 150 degrees C for 10(4) s), due to the Zr-doped BaTiO3 exhibiting higher charge-trapping efficiency and higher density of traps with deeper energy levels.