Improved Ferroelectricity and Tunneling Electroresistance by Inducing the ZrO<sub>2</sub> Intercalation Layer in La:HfO<sub>2</sub> Thin Films
Kangli Xu, Tianyu Wang, Yongkai Liu, Jiajie Yu, Zhenhai Li, Jialin Meng, Hao Zhu, Qingqing Sun, David Wei Zhang, Lin Chen
Abstract
In this article, the effect of the ZrO 2 intercalation layer on the ferroelectric properties and the tunneling electroresistance (TER) effect of Hafnium–Lanthanum oxide (La:HfO 2 )-based ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) devices were systematically investigated for the first time. Compared with the initial La:HfO 2 device, an improved value of remnant polarization (2 P r ) ∼16.3 μC/cm 2 @4 V by intercalating the ZrO 2 interlayer can be observed. The underline mechanism for the enhanced ferroelectric properties of La:HfO 2 thin films with the ZrO 2 intercalation layer was supported by the first-principal calculations. Furthermore, the FTJ performance was evaluated. The TER ratio of La:HfO 2 -based FTJs showed an increase from 1.5 to 15.1@6 V, 1000 ns@by ZrO 2 interlayer incorporating. Finally, the mechanism behind the enhancement of ferroelectric polarization characteristics and the FTJ performance of La:HfO 2 by introducing ZrO 2 interlayers were unveil. These findings provide valuable guidance for optimizing the ferroelectric properties and FTJ performance of HfO 2 -based thin films and promoting future memory applications.