Reduction of leakage currents in ferroelectric thin films by flexoelectricity: a phase field study

With the development of integrated circuit technology and the decreasing size of devices, ferroelectric films used in nano ferroelectric devices must become thinner and thinner. Along with the downscaling of the ferroelectric film is the increasing serious leakage current which has seriously hindered the broad application of ferroelectric devices. Here we tuned the leakage currents in Pb(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O-3 ferroelectric thin films through flexoelectricity by means of the phase field method with diffusion equations for the electron/hole. It is shown that the strain gradient generated by the local compressive force can raise the hole current but reduce the electron current in ferroelectric film. Pure mechanical force can therefore be used to diminish the leakage current. With the further study of the effects of different flexoelectric coupling types on leakage current, we demonstrate that the flexocoupling type described by the longitudinal flexoelectric coefficient promotes the increase of the hole current but has a side-effect on the increase of the electron current. In contrast, the role of the flexocoupling type described by the transverse flexoelectric coefficient is just the opposite.