Deep learning of accurate force field of ferroelectric HfO2

Abstract

The discovery of ferroelectricity in HfO$_2$-based thin films opens up new opportunities for using this silicon-compatible ferroelectric to realize low-power logic circuits and high-density non-volatile memories. The functional performances of ferroelectrics are intimately related to their dynamic responses to external stimuli such as electric fields at finite temperatures. Molecular dynamics is an ideal technique for investigating dynamical processes on large length and time scales, though its applications to new materials is often hindered by the limited availability and accuracy of classical force fields. Here we present a deep neural network-based interatomic force field of HfO$_2$ learned from {\em ab initio} data using a concurrent learning procedure. The model potential is able to predict structural properties such as elastic constants, equation of states, phonon dispersion relationships, and phase transition barriers of various hafnia polymorphs with accuracy comparable with density functional theory calculations. The validity of this model potential is further confirmed by the reproduction of experimental sequences of temperature-driven ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transitions of HfO$_2$ with isobaric-isothermal ensemble molecular dynamics simulations. We suggest a general approach to extend the model potential of HfO$_2$ to related material systems including dopants and defects.