Damage-Induced Ferroelectricity in HfOx-Based Thin Film

Abstract

In the last decade, a surge in research on hafnium oxide (HfOx)-based ferroelectricity has become a significant part of the semiconductor research trend. In this work, we present a new factor, that is, process damage to the HfOx-based ferroelectric implementation. By reversely exploiting harmful damage in the metaloxide-semiconductor process, the ferroelectricity in HfOx is improved by eliciting early amorphization suitable for orthorhombic phase formation. In addition, through various pulsed polarization measurements, it is found that the damaged HfOx film has a fast polarization switching speed, with an initial pinning site that is suitable for domain wall growth motion; advantageous for high-performance memory applications.