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Exploring the role of TiN electrodes in the formation of ferroelectric HfxZr1-xO2 thin films through transmission electron microscopy

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Abstract

The development of ferroelectric HfO2-based thin films, with their potential to revolutionize semiconductor technology, relies on comprehending the factors that drive the formation of the polar orthorhombic phase. Although TiN electrodes are known to facilitate orthorhombic phase formation, a comprehensive understanding is still lacking. Our study offers an in-depth exploration of the pivotal role played by TiN electrodes in shaping ferroelectric (Hf,Zr)O2-based thin films using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Through direct depositions of Hf0.65Zr0.35O2 (HZO) thin films and TiN masks onto a silicon membrane TEM grid, we enable a straightforward structural comparison between HZO thin films annealed with and without a TiN capping layer. This approach ensures uniform conditions across all parameters, except the presence of the TiN capping layer, while eliminating potential artifacts introduced during the TEM sampling. Our comprehensive analysis, incorporating electron diffraction, high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), delves into the possible influences of factors such as tensile strain, oxygen vacancies, and the surface atomic mobility constraint effect induced by the TiN capping layer. The results underscore the dominant role of TiN in surface atomic mobility constraint, thereby significantly contributing to the formation of ferroelectric HZO. This research promises to advance our understanding of ferroelectric materials, thus expediting the progress of ferroelectric and semiconductor technology.

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Data availability

The datasets from this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. RS-2023-00222411 and NRF-2022R1C1C1010157). STEM-EELS experiments were conducted using the Spectra 300 TEM instrument at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS).

Funding

This study was funded by Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, RS-2023-00222411, Seung-Yong Lee, NRF-2022R1C1C1010157, Seung-Yong Lee.

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Author notes

  1. Sojin Kim, Jaewook Lee contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Sojin Kim, Jinseok Hong & Seung-Yong Lee

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering & Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jaewook Lee & Min Hyuk Park

  3. Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Jong Hyeok Seo & Ji-Hwan Kwon

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  1. Sojin Kim
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Correspondence to Min Hyuk Park or Seung-Yong Lee.

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Kim, S., Lee, J., Seo, J.H. et al. Exploring the role of TiN electrodes in the formation of ferroelectric HfxZr1-xO2 thin films through transmission electron microscopy. J. Korean Ceram. Soc. 61, 327–334 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43207-023-00361-x

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