Electrical Characterization of PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 Capacitors

TL;DR

This study thoroughly investigates the electrical properties of PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 capacitors, identifying the dominant leakage mechanism and analyzing ferroelectric behavior across temperatures.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of conduction mechanisms and ferroelectric properties in PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 capacitors, with new insights into leakage behavior and temperature effects.

Findings

Poole-Frenkel conduction is the most plausible leakage mechanism.

Ferroelectric hysteresis and capacitance vary with temperature.

Space charge effects influence ferroelectric behavior.

Abstract

We have conducted a careful study of current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in fully integrated commercial PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 thin film capacitors with Pt bottom and Ir/IrO2 top electrodes. Highly reproducible steady state I-V were obtained at various temperatures over two decades in voltage from current-time data and analyzed in terms of several common transport models including space charge limited conduction, Schottky thermionic emission under full and partial depletion and Poole-Frenkel conduction, showing that the later is the most plausible leakage mechanism in these high quality films. In addition, ferroelectric hysteresis loops and capacitance-voltage data were obtained over a large range of temperatures and discussed in terms of a modified Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory accounting for space charge effects.