Domains in Three-dimensional Ferroelectric Nanostructures: Theory and Experiment

TL;DR

This paper investigates the domain structures in three-dimensional ferroelectric nanostructures, combining experimental measurements with theoretical modeling to understand domain scaling, which is crucial for advancing high-density ferroelectric memory devices.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental measurements of nano-domains in 3D ferroelectric nanostructures and develops a theory explaining domain size scaling in these structures.

Findings

Experimental measurement of nano-domains in 3D nanocolumns.

Development of a theoretical model for domain size in 3D structures.

Insights into domain behavior relevant for high-density ferroelectric memory.

Abstract

Ferroelectric random access memory cells (FeRAMs) have reached 450 x 400 nm production (0.18 micron^2) at Samsung with lead zirconate-titanate (PZT), 0.13 micron^2 at Matsushita with strontium bismuth tantalate (SBT), and comparable sizes at Fujitsu with BiFeO3. However, in order to increase storage density, the industry roadmap requires by 2010 that such planar devices be replaced with three-dimensional structures. Unfortunately, little is known yet about even such basic questions as the domain scaling of 3-d nanodevices, as opposed to 2-d thin films. Here we report the experimental measurement of nano-domains in ferroelectric nanocolumns, together with a theory of domain size in 3-d structures which explains the observations.