DataVXACS NanoPaper
journal article·2024-09-12Open access

Atomic-Scale Scanning of Domain Network in the Ferroelectric HfO2 Thin Film

Kunwoo Park, Dongmin Kim, Kyoungjun Lee, Hyun-Jae Lee, Jihoon Kim, Sungsu Kang, Alex Lin, Alexander J. Pattison, Wolfgang Theis, Chang Hoon Kim, Hyesung Choi, Jung Woo Cho, Peter Ercius, Jun Hee Lee, Seung Chul Chae, Jungwon Park

ACS Nano
Publisher pageOpen full text
Source abstract

Abstract

Ferroelectric HfO 2 -based thin films have attracted much interest in the utilization of ferroelectricity at the nanoscale for next-generation electronic devices. However, the structural origin and stabilization mechanism of the ferroelectric phase are not understood because the film is typically nanocrystalline with active yet stochastic ferroelectric domains. Here, electron microscopy is used to map the in-plane domain network structures of epitaxially grown ferroelectric Y:HfO 2 films in atomic resolution. The ferroelectricity is confirmed in free-standing Y:HfO 2 films, allowing for investigating the structural origin for their ferroelectricity by 4D-STEM, high-resolution STEM, and iDPC-STEM. At the grain boundaries of <111>-oriented Pca2 1 orthorhombic grains, a high-symmetry mixed-( R 3 m, Pnm2 1 ) phase is induced, exhibiting enhanced polarization due to in-plane compressive strain. Nanoscale Pca2 1 orthorhombic grains and their grain boundaries with mixed-( R 3 m, Pnm2 1 ) phases of higher symmetry cooperatively determine the ferroelectricity of the Y:HfO 2 film. It is also found that such ferroelectric domain networks emerge when the film thickness is beyond a finite value. Furthermore, in-plane mapping of oxygen positions overlaid on ferroelectric domains discloses that polarization is suppressed at vertical domain walls, while it is active when domains are aligned horizontally with subangstrom domain walls. In addition, randomly distributed 180° charged domain walls are confined by spacer layers.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

NanomaterialsElectronic materials

OpenAlex topics: Ferroelectric and Negative Capacitance Devices · Semiconductor materials and devices · Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea

School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea

Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16678, Republic of Korea

Department of Physics Education, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea

Department of Energy Engineering, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea

National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States

Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K.

Institute of Engineering Research, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea

Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16229, Republic of Korea

Funding

Ministry of Education · National Research Foundation of Korea · Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology · Institute for Basic Science · Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

References (44)

Show source-provided references
1. 10.1063/1.363405210.1063/1.3634052 ↗
2. 10.1038/s41586-022-04425-610.1038/s41586-022-04425-6 ↗
3. 10.1126/science.abk319510.1126/science.abk3195 ↗
4. 10.1126/science.abm864210.1126/science.abm8642 ↗
5. 10.1002/adma.20170472910.1002/adma.201704729 ↗
6. 10.1038/s41565-022-01257-310.1038/s41565-022-01257-3 ↗
7. 10.1021/acsnano.3c0350510.1021/acsnano.3c03505 ↗
8. 10.1038/nnano.2009.45110.1038/nnano.2009.451 ↗
9. 10.1002/adma.20140453110.1002/adma.201404531 ↗
10. 10.1038/nmat414810.1038/nmat4148 ↗
11. 10.1063/1.491913510.1063/1.4919135 ↗
12. 10.1111/j.1151-2916.2001.tb00843.x10.1111/j.1151-2916.2001.tb00843.x ↗
13. 10.1039/C7NR02121F10.1039/C7NR02121F ↗
14. 10.1039/C7TC01200D10.1039/C7TC01200D ↗
15. 10.1038/s41563-020-00897-x10.1038/s41563-020-00897-x ↗
16. 10.1038/s41535-022-00436-810.1038/s41535-022-00436-8 ↗
17. 10.1002/aelm.20180009110.1002/aelm.201800091 ↗
18. 10.1002/aelm.20160017310.1002/aelm.201600173 ↗
19. 10.1038/s41563-018-0196-010.1038/s41563-018-0196-0 ↗
20. 10.1126/science.adf613710.1126/science.adf6137 ↗
21. 10.1063/1.493558810.1063/1.4935588 ↗
22. 10.1038/s41586-020-2208-x10.1038/s41586-020-2208-x ↗
23. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b0219810.1021/acs.nanolett.7b02198 ↗
24. 10.1126/science.aba006710.1126/science.aba0067 ↗
25. 10.1038/ncomms1054710.1038/ncomms10547 ↗
26. 10.1002/adma.20210988910.1002/adma.202109889 ↗
27. 10.1088/1361-6463/ab7fd410.1088/1361-6463/ab7fd4 ↗
28. 10.1017/S143192761900049710.1017/S1431927619000497 ↗
29. 10.1038/s41586-018-0298-510.1038/s41586-018-0298-5 ↗
30. 10.1038/s41563-020-00833-z10.1038/s41563-020-00833-z ↗
31. 10.1021/acsnano.1c0210410.1021/acsnano.1c02104 ↗
32. 10.1038/s41563-022-01282-610.1038/s41563-022-01282-6 ↗
33. 10.1063/1.494926310.1063/1.4949263 ↗
34. 10.1116/1.501179010.1116/1.5011790 ↗
35. 10.1016/j.actamat.2013.12.03110.1016/j.actamat.2013.12.031 ↗
36. 10.1016/j.matt.2020.12.00810.1016/j.matt.2020.12.008 ↗
37. 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.14.01406810.1103/PhysRevApplied.14.014068 ↗
38. 10.1039/C7NR06342C10.1039/C7NR06342C ↗
39. 10.1016/j.actamat.2020.07.01210.1016/j.actamat.2020.07.012 ↗
40. 10.1016/j.actamat.2022.11792010.1016/j.actamat.2022.117920 ↗
41. 10.1038/nature0163810.1038/nature01638 ↗
42. 10.1186/s40679-017-0048-z10.1186/s40679-017-0048-z ↗
43. 10.1017/S143192762201238710.1017/S1431927622012387 ↗
44. Kirkland, E. J. Advanced Computing in Electron Microscopy, 2nd ed. Springer: New York, 2010; pp 1–269.10.1007/978-1-4419-6533-2_1 ↗