Complexities in the growth and stabilization of polar phase in the Hf$_{0.5}$Zr$_{0.5}$O$_2$ thin films grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

TL;DR

This study investigates the atomic-scale interface mechanisms and phase stability of Hf$_{0.5}$Zr$_{0.5}$O$_2$ thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition, revealing the importance of interface quality and rhombohedral symmetry in ferroelectric properties.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the interfacial effects and phase symmetry of HZO films, advancing understanding of ferroelectricity in these materials.

Findings

Interface roughness destabilizes ferroelectric phase.

Rhombohedral-like symmetry identified in HZO unit cell.

Remnant polarization of ~8 μC/cm² measured in 7 nm HZO film.

Abstract

After the discovery of ferroelectricity in HfO$_2$ based thin films a decade ago, ferroelectric Hf$_{0.5}$Zr$_{0.5}$O$_2$ (HZO) thin films are frequently being utilized in the CMOS (Complementary Metal- Oxide Semiconductor) and logic devices, thanks to their large remnant polarization, high retention and endurance. A great deal of effort has been made towards understanding the origin of ferroelectricity in epitaxial HZO thin films and controlling the microstructure at the atomic level which governs the ferroelectric phase. Nevertheless, the HZO films still suffer from fundamental questions, such as (1) the vagueness of interfacial mechanisms between HZO, buffer layer and the substrate which controls the polar phase; (2) the nature of the metastable polar phase responsible for the ferroelectricity, be it orthorhombic or rhombohedral; which are poorly understood. Here, we have addressed these issues by employing the in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction -- assisted pulsed laser deposition and mapping the asymmetrical polar maps on high quality HZO films grown on functional perovskite oxide substrates. The interface between La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ (LSMO) and the substrate is shown to be quite important, and a slightly rougher interface of the former destabilizes the ferroelectric phase of HZO irrespective of well-controlled growth of the ferroelectric layers. A rhombohedral-like symmetry of HZO unit cell is extracted through the x-ray diffraction asymmetrical polar maps. The ferroelectric measurements on a nearly 7 nm HZO film on STO(001) substrate display a remnant polarization close to 8 uC/cm$^2$. These results highlight the complexities involved at the atomic scale interface in the binary oxides thin films and can be of importance to the HfO$_2$-based ferroelectric community which is still at its infancy.