Ferroelectric HfO2 and ZrO2-based thin films

The discovery of ferroelectricity in simple oxides based on HfO2 has renewed the interest in ferroelectric for memories and other devices. Both academia and industry are actively investigating the synthesis of thin films, progressing on the understanding of the ferroelectric properties, and fabricating devices.

Scope:

Ferroelectricity in doped HfO2 was first reported in 2011, in Si-doped films prepared by ALD. Ferroelectric HfO2-based films are now deposited using a variety of chemical and physical techniques and with various dopants. The coexistence of polymorphs is usual, with a strong crystal phase dependence on the dopant atoms and concentration, electrodes, growth technique and deposition parameters. Oxygen vacancies and other defects are also highly dependent on dopants and growth conditions, with a large impact on phases, ferroelectric properties and device operation. The properties of ferroelectric capacitors are also highly dependent on the electrodes used. Notable progress has been made in the controlled growth of the material using different techniques, with a detailed characterization of the microstructure and electrical properties. Particular efforts are made to obtain high polarization and reliability in films prepared under CMOS-compatible conditions. Besides, there is a growing research of epitaxial films, which can be a model system to better understand properties and devices, complementing research on polycrystalline films. A growing number of theoretical studies further help to understand the material. Soon after the discovery of ferroelectricity in HfO2, small size ferroelectric RAM memories and ferroelectric FET were fabricated, and more recently the density and the performance of these devices have been improved. But important progress is still needed, including improved endurance (reduced wake-up effect, fatigue and break-down), control of imprint and increasing retention, and a better understanding of ferroelectric switching.

The symposium aims to be a forum where the most recent results on this topic are presented. This includes advances in theoretical studies, thin film growth, studies on the influence of dopants, use of advanced characterization tools to study microstructure and electrical properties, correlation of ferroelectric properties and defects, fabrication and properties of emerging memory devices, and other devices and applications, including for energy harvesting and storage.

Hot topics to be covered:

• Advances in theory and simulation
• Low thermal budget growth for BEOL compatibility
• Advances in thin film growth by chemical and physical deposition techniques
• Epitaxial films
• Impact of dopants
• Impact of electrodes and paraelectric layers
• Defects characterization and influence on properties
• Capacitors reliability
• Switching mechanisms
• Piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity
• In-situ / in-operando characterization
• Integration of ferroelectric HfO2 with 2D, 1D and 0D nanostructures
• Ferroelectric memories: RAM, FET, FTJ
• Neuromorphic devices
• Emerging devices
• Energy applications