Electric field-induced crystallization of ferroelectric hafnium zirconium oxide

Ferroelectricity in crystalline hafnium oxide thin films is strongly investigated for the application in non-volatile memories, sensors and other applications. Especially for back-end-of-line (BEoL) integration the decrease of crystallization temperature is of major importance. However, an alternative method for inducing ferroelectricity in amorphous or semi-crystalline hafnium zirconium oxide films is presented here, using the newly discovered effect of electric field-induced crystallization in hafnium oxide films. When applying this method, an outstanding remanent polarization value of 2PR = 47 mC/cm2 is achieved for a 5 nm thin film. Besides the influence of Zr content on the film crystallinity, the reliability of films crystallized with this effect is explored, highlighting the controlled crystallization, excellent endurance and long-term retention.