Charge-Trapping-Induced Compensation of the Ferroelectric Polarization in FTJs: Optimal Conditions for a Synaptic Device Operation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how charge trapping affects polarization in ferroelectric tunnel junctions and identifies optimal conditions for their use as multilevel synaptic devices, supported by simulations and experiments.

Contribution

It provides new insights into charge trapping effects and establishes guidelines for optimizing FTJs for neuromorphic computing applications.

Findings

Charge trapping significantly influences ON/OFF ratio in FTJs.

Optimal compensation conditions improve device performance.

Experimental and simulation results validate the proposed guidelines.

Abstract

In this work, we present a clear evidence, based on numerical simulations and experiments, that the polarization compensation due to trapped charge strongly influences the ON/ OFF ratio in Hf 0.5 Zr 0.5 O 2 (HZO)-based ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs). Furthermore, we identify and explain compensation conditions that enable an optimal operation of FTJs. Our results provide both key physical insights and design guidelines for the operation of FTJs as multilevel synaptic devices.