Challenges and recent advances in HfO2-based ferroelectric films for non-volatile memory applications

The emergence of data-centric applications such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT), has promoted surges in demand for storage memories with high operating speed and nonvolatile characteristics. HfO₂-based ferroelectric memory technologies, which emerge as a promising alternative, have attracted considerable attention due to their high performance, energy efficiency, and full compatibility with the standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) process. These nonvolatile storage elements, such as ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs), and ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs), possess different data access mechanisms, individual merits, and specific application boundaries in next-generation memories or even beyond von Neumann architecture. This paper provides an overview of ferroelectric HfO₂ memory technologies, addresses the current challenges, and offers insights into future research directions and prospects.