Ferroelectric AlScN thin films with enhanced polarization and low leakage enabled by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866912176734732288 |
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| author | Messi, Federica Patidar, Jyotish Rodkey, Nathan Dräyer, Christoph W. Trassin, Morgan Siol, Sebastian |
| author_facet | Messi, Federica Patidar, Jyotish Rodkey, Nathan Dräyer, Christoph W. Trassin, Morgan Siol, Sebastian |
| contents | The demand for efficient data processing motivates a shift toward in-memory computing architectures. Ferroelectric materials, particularly AlScN, show great promise for next-generation memory devices. However, their widespread application is limited due challenges such as high coercive fields, leakage currents and limited stability. Our work introduces a novel synthesis approach for ferroelectric AlScN thin films using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). Through a combinatorial study, we investigate the effect of scandium content and substrate bias on the ferroelectric properties of AlScN films deposited using metal-ion synchronized (MIS) HiPIMS. Leveraging the high ionization rates of HiPIMS and optimally timed substrate bias potentials, we enhance the adatom mobility at low temperatures. Our films exhibit a high degree of texture and crystallinity as well as low roughness at temperatures as low as 250°C. Most importantly, the films exhibit coercive fields comparable to state-of-the-art values (5 MV/cm) with significantly enhanced remanent polarization (158-172.0 μC/cm2). Notably, the remanent polarization remains stable across varying scandium concentrations. We further evaluate cycling stability and leakage current to assess suitability for memory applications. This study demonstrates HiPIMS as a scalable and CMOS compatible technique for synthesizing high-quality ferroelectric AlScN films, paving the way for their application in non-volatile memory applications. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_02101 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Ferroelectric AlScN thin films with enhanced polarization and low leakage enabled by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering Messi, Federica Patidar, Jyotish Rodkey, Nathan Dräyer, Christoph W. Trassin, Morgan Siol, Sebastian Applied Physics Materials Science The demand for efficient data processing motivates a shift toward in-memory computing architectures. Ferroelectric materials, particularly AlScN, show great promise for next-generation memory devices. However, their widespread application is limited due challenges such as high coercive fields, leakage currents and limited stability. Our work introduces a novel synthesis approach for ferroelectric AlScN thin films using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). Through a combinatorial study, we investigate the effect of scandium content and substrate bias on the ferroelectric properties of AlScN films deposited using metal-ion synchronized (MIS) HiPIMS. Leveraging the high ionization rates of HiPIMS and optimally timed substrate bias potentials, we enhance the adatom mobility at low temperatures. Our films exhibit a high degree of texture and crystallinity as well as low roughness at temperatures as low as 250°C. Most importantly, the films exhibit coercive fields comparable to state-of-the-art values (5 MV/cm) with significantly enhanced remanent polarization (158-172.0 μC/cm2). Notably, the remanent polarization remains stable across varying scandium concentrations. We further evaluate cycling stability and leakage current to assess suitability for memory applications. This study demonstrates HiPIMS as a scalable and CMOS compatible technique for synthesizing high-quality ferroelectric AlScN films, paving the way for their application in non-volatile memory applications. |
| title | Ferroelectric AlScN thin films with enhanced polarization and low leakage enabled by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering |
| topic | Applied Physics Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.02101 |