Effect of moisture on the properties of hafnium zirconium oxide ferroelectric thin films

IF 4.2 3区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing Pub Date : 2025-03-08 DOI:10.1016/j.mssp.2025.109439

Fan Wu , Jianguo Li , Zeping Weng , Junliang Zhou , Lijian Chen , Haomin Sun , Danben He , Daolin Cai , Yi Zhao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The degradation mechanisms of polarization and dielectric properties in hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) ferroelectric thin films under humid conditions are systematically investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirms that moisture-induced degradation is attributed to the hydrolysis of zirconia (ZrO₂) into zirconium hydroxide (Zr(OH)₄) within the HZO thin films, resulting in measurable reductions in both remnant polarization and dielectric constant. Notably, the deteriorated ferroelectric performance is demonstrated to be effectively recovered through thermal annealing, during which Zr(OH)₄ is thermally decomposed into ZrO₂ and H₂O. These findings experimentally validate the critical role of environmental moisture in governing the functional stability of HZO-based devices, while establishing a reversible recovery mechanism that significantly improves the fundamental understanding of material reliability in humidity-sensitive applications.

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来源期刊

Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

4.90%

发文量

780

审稿时长

42 days

期刊介绍： Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing provides a unique forum for the discussion of novel processing, applications and theoretical studies of functional materials and devices for (opto)electronics, sensors, detectors, biotechnology and green energy. Each issue will aim to provide a snapshot of current insights, new achievements, breakthroughs and future trends in such diverse fields as microelectronics, energy conversion and storage, communications, biotechnology, (photo)catalysis, nano- and thin-film technology, hybrid and composite materials, chemical processing, vapor-phase deposition, device fabrication, and modelling, which are the backbone of advanced semiconductor processing and applications. Coverage will include: advanced lithography for submicron devices; etching and related topics; ion implantation; damage evolution and related issues; plasma and thermal CVD; rapid thermal processing; advanced metallization and interconnect schemes; thin dielectric layers, oxidation; sol-gel processing; chemical bath and (electro)chemical deposition; compound semiconductor processing; new non-oxide materials and their applications; (macro)molecular and hybrid materials; molecular dynamics, ab-initio methods, Monte Carlo, etc.; new materials and processes for discrete and integrated circuits; magnetic materials and spintronics; heterostructures and quantum devices; engineering of the electrical and optical properties of semiconductors; crystal growth mechanisms; reliability, defect density, intrinsic impurities and defects.