Nanowire transistors with ferroelectric gate dielectrics: Enhanced performance and memory effects

Abstract

Integration of ferroelectric materials into nanoscale field-effect transistors offers enormous promise for superior transistor performance and also intriguing memory effects. In this study, we have incorporated lead zirconate titanate (PZT) into In2O3 nanowire transistors to replace the commonly used SiO2 as the gate dielectric. These transistors exhibited substantially enhanced performance as a result of the high dielectric constant of PZT, as revealed by a 30-fold increase in the transconductance and a 10-fold reduction in the subthreshold swing when compared to similar SiO2-gated devices. Furthermore, memory effects were observed with our devices, as characterized by a counter-clockwise loop in current-versus-gate-bias curves that can be attributed to the switchable remnant polarization of PZT. Our method can be easily generalized to other nanomaterials systems and may prove to be a viable way to obtain nanoscale memories.