The growth of interfacial passive layers under thermal passivation of integrated Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films

Abstract

Pb ( Zr , Ti ) O 3 thin films suffer from progressive degradation of remanent polarization after thermal shocks of step-by-step integration of ferroelectric random access memories. The polarization degradation accelerates with the enhancement of the shocked number per time interval as well as thermal duration at 350°C in the flowing air. However, the degradation progresses in a slow rate for the sample heated in a sealed furnace with a homogeneous distribution of a thermal field. The previous steplike current transient of domain switching with time in the film becomes tilted in conjunction with polarization degradation, which is recognized as the growth of interfacial passive layers during thermal treatment. The interfacial passive layers can grow throughout the film thickness under the thermal stressing for 279h with a dielectric constant of εi=48, as estimated from capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements, and time evolution of interfacial-layer thickness at 350°C is thus derived from domain switching performance. The thickened interfacial passive layers essential for polarization degradation can build in an enhanced internal field in backswitching of partial domains to block the total polarization reversal.