First Demonstration of Annealing-Free RT-Prepared AlScN Film with Large Polarization ($2 \mathrm{P}_{\mathrm{r}}>300 \mu \mathrm{C} / \text{cm}^{2}$) and Ultra-Sharp $\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{c}}$ Distribution for 0T1C FeRAM
Selector-free 0T1C FeRAM requires ferroelectric (FE) films with high polarization (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$2 P_{\mathrm{r}}$</tex>) and sharp coercive field (<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$E_{\mathrm{c}}$</tex>) distribution. In this work, we present the first demonstration of a 1kb 0T1C FeRAM based on the optimized AlScN FE film, through electrode engineering and interface optimization. An annealing-free room-temperature (RT)-prepared AlScN epitaxial film with high-quality (001) orientation is achieved, resulting in a large <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$2 P_{\mathrm{r}}>300 \mu \mathrm{C} / \text{cm}^{2}$</tex> and an ultra-sharp <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$E_{\mathrm{c}}$</tex> distribution (record <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\alpha$</tex> of 0.045). The sharp <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$E_{\mathrm{c}}$</tex> allows superior disturb immunity under the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathrm{V}_{\text{dd}} / 2$</tex> read scheme for array operations, even at an elevated 300°C. Furthermore, our circuit model proposes that the optimized AlScN FE film can support much larger array size compared to other ferroelectrics, thanks to its enhanced <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$2 P_{\mathrm{r}}$</tex> and sharper <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$E_{\mathrm{c}}$</tex> distribution. This work underscores the great potential of AlScN-based FE films for high-capacity emerging memory technologies.
Authors
- Hao Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1234-624X)
- Xuanyu Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6281-2325)
- Yingfen Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2037-4440)
- Jie Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6019-9646)
- Yan Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5558-8468)
- Yu Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3636-4872)
- Ming Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7537-5462)
- Yiwei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8963-0831)
- Qi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2877-4900)
- Fuyang Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7435-9786)
Institutions
- Fudan University (CN)
- East China Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-06-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.23919/vlsitechnologyandcir65189.2025.11074960
- Primary Topic
- Metal and Thin Film Mechanics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China