R&D: New Era of Ferroelectric Thin Films for Nonvolatile Memories

MRS Bulletin has published an article written by Susan Trolier-McKinstry, Materials Science and Engineering Department and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA, Ken Uchida, Department of Materials Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, and Tomoaki Yamada, Department of Energy Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan, and MDX Research Center for Element Strategy, International Research Frontiers Initiative, Institute of Science Tokyo, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan.

Abstract: “Ferroelectric films have potential applications in nonvolatile memory devices. In addition to the well-established perovskite-structure oxide ferroelectrics, hafnia- and wurtzite-based ferroelectrics have recently attracted considerable attention because of the improved scalability of the ferroelectric response (down to nanometer thicknesses), their compatibility with silicon fabrication processes, and the availability of deposition methods that realize three-dimensional structures. Furthermore, due to their high compatibility with silicon processes, these are also expected to be used in emerging energy-efficient applications, such as neuromorphic computing and reservoir computing. In this article, we review the fundamentals of hafnia- and wurtzite-based ferroelectrics and their advantages and issues for developing in nonvolatile memory devices. Then, possible emerging applications are discussed.“