The Impact of Channel Semiconductor on the Memory Characteristics of Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors
Mengwei Si, Zehao Lin, Jinhyun Noh, Junkang Li, Wonil Chung, Peide D. Ye
Abstract
In this work, channel semiconductor is identified and demonstrated to have significant impact on the memory characteristics of ferroelectric field-effect transistors (Fe-FETs). It is understood that, to achieve high electron density at on-state, it requires high hole density at the off-state to realize the charge balance and strong ferroelectric polarization switching in n-type Fe-FETs. Therefore, Fe-FETs with a wider bandgap semiconductor channel have a much smaller memory window than Fe-FETs with a narrower bandgap semiconductor channel due to the insufficient polarization switching. The simple device physics suggests that narrow bandgap semiconductor channel such as Ge is preferred for Fe-FETs with large memory window.