The role of grain-boundary on the hydrogen-induced degradation in thin-film ferroelectric capacitors

The electrical properties of the thin-film ferroelectric capacitors are known to degrade severely when exposed to hydrogen. In this study, we could directly measure the effects of grain boundary on the hydrogen-induced degradation in ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 (PZT) thin films by the location of the top Pt electrode either inside the grains or at the grain boundary. A strong relationship between the grain boundary and the electrical properties of ferroelectric capacitors as a result of hydrogen annealing was found. The degradation of the electrical properties in thin-film ferroelectric capacitors after hydrogen annealing is mainly due to the presence of the grain boundary in the ferroelectric thin films.