3D Phase Field Simulation and Variability Analysis of Polycrystalline Ferroelectric Memories
Wei Zhang, Yuhang Xie, Jianze Wang, Xuanyao Fong
Abstract
In this paper, we present a novel 3D multi-grain (MG) phase field simulation framework to address limitations in the conventional phase field model of ferroelectric (FE) materials. The proposed framework incorporates the effects of random grain size, crystalline orientation and FE/DE phase fluctuation, which are critical for understanding device physics, device-to-device (DTD) variation and scalability in FE capacitors. By combining phase field model and Monte Carlo simulation, this work explores polarization switching dynamics and domain evolution, revealing significant DTD variation in deeply nano-scaled devices. The results demonstrate that FE samples with smaller area exhibit more pronounced variability, which influence non-volatile (NV) memory characteristics such as coercive field (Ec) and remnant polarization (Pr), and highlight the significance of modeling grain-level variations in FE materials for memory applications.