Fabrication Process of Sol-Gel Spin Coating for SrBi2Ta2O9 Films Applied to FeRAM

We investigate SrBi2 Ta2 O9 （SBT） films prepared by the sol-gel spin method with different spin rates or different anneal conditions for the first layer of SBT, as promising ferroelectric layer materials applied to ferroelectric random access memory （FeRAM）. All the specimens in this experiment have similar SBT crystal orientations of （115）, （020）, （220）, and （135）. The Pt/SBT/Pt capacitor with coating of 3000rpm spin rate has a perfect rectangle shape of hysteresis loops, remanent polarization of 7.571μC/cm^2 and coercive voltage of 0.816 V at 5 V voltage amplitude. These characteristics are better than those with coating of 3500rpm spin rate, which is attributed to the influence for thickness and grain size of the film from depressed spin rate. Slow-rate anneal in the furnace for the first layer of SBT can improve the crystallization processes and properties for SBT layers slightly, compared with rapid thermal annealing. The ion damage from etching for the top electrode can influence leakage current characteristics of the Pt/SBT/Pt capacitor at positive voltage bias.     

Preparation and Characterization of BPO Film as Electrode for Using of FeRAM

Conductive perovskite BaPb03 （BPO） films as a potential electrode material of PZT capacitors used in ferroelectric random access memory are prepared by rf magnetron sputtering. An x-ray diffractometer and standard four probe method are employed to investigate the dependence of growth conditions on crystal structure and conductivity of BPO films. It is found that BPO films with perovskite phase can be obtained at substrate temperatures above 425℃, and the sample with the lowest resistivity is obtained at 450℃ under pure argon atmosphere. Using this BPO film as electrode, ferroelectric properties of BPO/PZT/BPO and Pt/PZT/BPO sandwiched structures are evaluated. Their remanent polarization and coercive field are 36.6 ℃/cm^2 （81.3 k V/cm） and 36.9℃/cm^2 （89.1 kV/cm）, respectively. The coercive field of the former structure is lower than that of the latter, but remanent polarizations are almost the same. In addition, the results imply that BPO electrode is helpful to improve the fatigue resistance of PZT. The reasons are discussed.     

An Enhanced Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency of n-Type Crystalline Silicon p-n Junctions Using a Ferroelectric Passivation Layer

A multilayered structure consisting of ferroelectric Pb（Zr, Ti）Oa （PZT） film is deposited by sputtering on the crystalline silicon p-n junction without any buffer layer. The photovoltaic output of the p-n junction is greatly enhanced due to the usage of In2Oa：Sn（ITO）/PZT as top surface passivation layers. The short circuit current and photoelectric conversion emciency of the p-n junction with ITO/PZT ferroelectric films increase about four and six times, respectively, compared with those without any passivation layers. Improvement in the passivated device is mainly attributed to the builtqn feld at the ITO/PZT interface.     

Bipolar resistive switching in BiFe_(0.95)Zn_(0.05)O_3 films

Bipolar resistive switching is studied in BiFe0.95Zn0.05O3 films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on （001） SrTiO3 substrate, with LaNiO3 as the bottom electrode, and Pt as the top electrode. Multiple steps of resistance change are ob- served in the resistive switching process with a slow voltage sweep, indicating the formation/rupture of multiple conductive filaments. A resistive ratio of the high resistance state （HRS） to the low resistance state （LRS） of over three orders of mag- nitude is observed. Furthermore, the conduction mechanism is confirmed to be space-charge-limited conduction with the Schottky emission at the interface with the top Pt electrodes in the HRS, and Ohmic in the LRS. Impedance spectroscopy demonstrates a conductive ferroelectric/interfacial dielectric 2-layer structure, and the formation/rupture of the conductive filaments mainly occurs at the interfacial dielectric layer close to the top Pt electrodes.     

Photovoltaic properties of ferroelectric solar cells based on polycrystalline BiFeO3 films sputtered on indium tin oxide substrates

To study the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect based on polycrystalline films,preparation of high-quality polycrystalline films with low leakage and high remnant polarization is essential.Polycrystalline Bi Fe O3(BFO)thin films with extremely large remnant polarization(2Pr=180μC/cm2)were successfully deposited on glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide using a modified radio frequency magnetron sputtering method.Symmetric and asymmetric cells were constructed to investigate the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect in order to understand the relationship between polarization and photovoltaic response.All examined cells showed polarization-induced photovoltaic effect.Our findings also showed that the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect is highly dependent on the material used for the top electrode and the thickness of the polycrystalline film.     

Effect of Annealing Temperature on Electrical Properties of Ferroelectric Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 Capacitors

Lanthanum-modified bismuth titanate (Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂, BLT) thin films arefabricated on platinized Si wafers by the sol-gel method, and the effect of annealing temperatures ranging from 650°C to 800°C on the electrical properties of Pt/BLT/Pt capacitors are investigated. It is found that polarization and leakage current of BLT capacitors strongly depend on the annealing temperature although all the capacitors demonstrate very similar characteristics, except the value of polarization, in pulse-width dependence, retention, and fatigue. Remanent polarization increases with the increase of annealing temperature, and annealing temperature of 700°C can yield thelargest remanent polarization, and then polarization decreases with increasing annealing temperature. For the 700°C annealed Pt/BLT/Pt capacitor, the remanent polarization 2P_r and the coercive field 2E_c, at an electric field of 226kV/cm, are 23.8μC/cm² and 130kV/cm, respectively. Dielectric breakdown voltages of BLT films annealed at 750°C and 800°C are much lower than those annealed at 650°C and 700°C. At 100kV/cm, the leakage currents of BLT films prepared at 650°C and 700°C are only1.5×10^-6A/cm² and 8.9×10-7A/cm², espectively. Moreover, all the Pt/BLT/Pt capacitors exhibit excellent retention properties after a cumulative time of 1× m 10⁴s and do not show any significant fatigue up to 1×10¹⁰ switching cyclesat frequency of 1MHz.     

Ferroelectricity in hexagonal YFeO3 film at room temperature

In this paper we report the leakage current,ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the YFe O3film with hexagonal structure,which was fabricated on Si(111)substrate by a simple sol-gel method.The leakage current test shows good characteristics as the leakage current density is 5.4×10-6A/cm2under 5 V.The dominant leakage mechanism is found to be an Ohmic behavior at low electric field and space-charge-limited conduction at high electric field region.The P–E measurements show ferroelectric hysteresis loops with small remnant polarization and coercive field at room temperature.The distinct and switchable domain structures on the nanometer scale are observed by piezoresponse force microscopy,which testifies to the ferroelectricity of the YFe O3film further.     

Enhanced energy storage behaviors in free-standing antiferroelectric Pb(Zr_(0.95)Ti_(0.05))O_3 thin membranes

Free-standing antiferroelectric Pb(Zr_(0.95)Ti_(0.05)O_3(PZT(95/5)) thin film is fabricated on 200-nm-thick Pt foil by using pulsed laser deposition.X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that free-standing PZT(95/5) film possesses an α-axis preferred orientation.The critical electric field for the 300-nm-thick free-standing PZT(95/5) film transiting from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phases is increased to 770 kV/cm,but its saturation polarization remains almost unchanged as compared with that of the substrate-clamped PZT(95/5) film.The energy storage density and energy efficiency of the substrate-clamped PZT(95/5) film are 6.49 J/cm~3 and 54.5%,respectively.In contrast,after removing the substrate,the energy storage density and energy efficiency of the free-standing PZT(95/5) film are enhanced up to 17.45 J/cm~3 and 67.9%,respectively.     

Study of Phase Transition Properties in Epitaxial Ferroelectric Film

Based on the transverse Ising model and using decoupling approximation to the Fermi-type Green＇s function, we study the phase transition properties of the epitaxial ferroeleetric film with one substrate. A general recursive equation of the ferroelectric thin film with two n-layer materials is obtained, which enables us to study the phase transition properties for any number layers for epitaxial ferroelectric thin film. With the help of this equation, we analyze the effect of the exchange interaction and the transverse field in the phase diagram, the influence to the polarizations and Curie temperature numerically. The results show that epitaxial ferroelectric film are able to induce a strong increase or decrease of Curie temperature to different exchange interactions and transverse fields within the epitaxial film layers. The theoretical results are in reasonable accordance with experimental data of different ferroelectric thin film.     

Energy band alignment at ferroelectric/electrode interface determined by photoelectron spectroscopy

The most important interface-related quantities determined by band alignment are the barrier heights for charge transport, given by the Fermi level position at the interface. Taking Pb(Zr,Ti)O3(PZT) as a typical ferroelectric material and applying X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), we briefly review the interface formation and barrier heights at the interfaces between PZT and electrodes made of various metals or conductive oxides. Polarization dependence of the Schottky barrier height at a ferroelectric/electrode interface is also directly observed using XPS.     

Crystallization of thin polycrystalline PZT films on Si/SiO2/Pt substrates

This paper reports on a study of crystallization of thin lead zirconate-titanate films deposited on Si/SiO₂/Pt substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at a low temperature and annealed at 540–580°C. In this temperature interval, one observes successively two first-order phase transitions: the low-temperature pyrochlore phase—perovskite-I phase and perovskite-I phase-perovskite-II phase transitions, which are accompanied by film volume shrinkage. The phase transformations have been studied by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and visual (optical) observation of the growth of islands of a new phase. It has been found that the dielectric parameters undergo substantial changes upon the transition from phase I to phase II. The origin of the observed effects has been discussed.     

Auger spectroscopy and properties of Ir(Pt)/PZT(PZT/PT)/Ir nanosized thin-film structures

Studies of the elemental distribution profiles through the thickness of thin-film ferroelectric capacitor structures using Auger spectroscopy made it possible to establish the relation between the elemental and phase composition of the structures, on the one hand, and their electrophysical properties, on the other. Special features were observed in the behavior of the lead titanate underlayer both in the as-fabricated and aged structures. It is shown that the variation in the characteristics of the capacitor structures during aging is caused by diffusion of the elements at the interfaces and in the PZT film against a background of a significant increase in the oxygen concentration. As a result, interface-modifying oxide layers form and the trap density on the upper and lower interfaces decreases in all samples.     

Pulsed laser deposition of PZT/Pt composite thin films with high dielectric constants

PbZr_0.53Ti_0.47O₃ (PZT) thin films containing nanoparticles of Pt (3–10 nm) were produced using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The Pt content can be tuned by varying the energy density of the laser beam. Phase and microstructure analysis of the thin films was performed using XRD, SEM, TEM and AFM. The electrical properties were investigated by C–V and I–V measurements. The effective dielectric constant of the composite films increased substantially through the Pt dispersion. These films are promising candidates, for instance, for high-density dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. PACS 77.22.Ch; 77.84.Lf; 81.15.Fg     

Properties of PZT/PZT ceramic piezocomposites

A method for obtaining PZT/PZT ceramic piezocomposites is developed. Samples of piezocomposites with a volume fraction of components from 0 to 100% are prepared and investigated. Various types of PZT type piezoceramics powders and milled PZT piezoceramics particles, as well as presintered piezoceramic granules, are used as matrix and filling components, respectively. Sets of complex elastic, dielectric, and piezoelectric parameters of piezocomposites are measured. The microstructure of the obtained ceramic composites is investigated.     

Pt/Ti Electrodes of PZT Thin Films Patterning by Novel Lift-Off Using ZnO as a Sacrificial Layer

We achieve a successful novel lift-off of patterning Pt/Ti electrodes on SiO2/Si substrates by employing ZnO sacrificial layer deposition and patterning, successive uniform Pt/Ti deposition and final lift-off. Then we deposit PZT thin films on the electrodes. Compared with the conventional lift-off processes for the electrodes, this novel process does not need post-annealing, which must be performed after conventional lift-off process. It is demonstrated that the electrodes patterned by the novel lift-off process have stronger adhesion. The electrodes and the PZT films on the electrodes are more compact and smoother than those by the conventional lift-off process.     

Pt/Co/Pt/Ni多层膜的磁光特性

用磁控溅射法制备了Pt/Co/Pt/Ni系列样品,其中Ni层具有不同的厚度.通过测量样品的Kerr转角、椭偏率、折射率和吸收率,推算出了四个等效电导张量元σ_1xx,σ_2xx,σ_1xy,σ_2xy随Ni层厚度的变化情况.再结合电导张量元与Kerr角的理论公式,分析了在Ni层厚度的变化过程中,每一个电导张量元对Kerr角的贡献;发现在短波段σ_2xy起主导作用,而在长波段四个电导张量元共同起作用.经分析认为这是由于在Ni层的增厚过程中,Pt 5d带劈裂程度逐渐减小.与纯Pt/Co膜相比,在Ni层的厚度为0.10—0.23nm的范围内样品具有较低的居里温度和较高的Kerr角,这说明Pt/Co/Pt/Ni多层膜具有较高的应用价值. 关键词：     

Lamb wave dispersion in a PZT/metal/PZT sandwich plate with imperfect interface

Abstract

The Lamb wave dispersion in a PZT/Metal/PZT sandwich plate is investigated by employing the exact linear equations of electro-elastic waves in piezoelectric materials within the scope of the plane-strain state. It is assumed that at the interfaces between the piezoelectric face layers and metal core layer, shear-spring and normal-spring type imperfect conditions are satisfied. The degree of this imperfectness is estimated through the corresponding shear-spring and normal-spring type parameters which appear in the contact condition characterizing the transverse and normal displacements’ discontinuity. The corresponding dispersion equation is derived, and as a result of the numerical solution to this equation, the dispersion curves are constructed for the first and second lowest modes in the cases where the material of the face layers is PZT and the material of the middle layer is Steel (St). Consequently, for the PZT/St/PZT sandwich plate, the study of the influence of the problem parameters such as the piezoelectric and dielectric constants, layer thickness ratios, non-dimensional shear-spring, and normal-spring type parameters, is carried out. In particular, it is established that the imperfectness of the contact between the layers of the plate causes a decrease in the values of the wave propagation velocity.     

Anisotropic interface magnetoresistance in Pt/Co/Pt sandwiches

We report on an effect of reduced dimensionality on the magnetotransport in cobalt layers sandwiched by platinum. In a current in-plane geometry it is found that the resistivity depends on the magnetization orientation within the plane perpendicular to the current direction. The resistivity shows a symmetry adapted cos(2) dependence on the angle to the surface normal, with the maximum along the surface normal. The Co thickness dependence of the effect in Pt/Co/Pt sandwiches clearly points out that the mechanism behind this effect originates at the Co/Pt interfaces and is disparate to the texture induced geometrical size effect.     

Field-driven creep motion of a composite domain wall in a Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Pt multilayer wire

We have studied the field-driven motion of a pair of coupled Bloch domain walls in a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Pt multilayer Hall bar. The nucleation of an isolated but coincident pair of walls in the two Co layers, observed by Kerr microscopy, took place at an artificial nucleation site created by Ga⁺ ion irradiation. The average velocity v of the wall motion was calculated from time-resolved magnetotransport measurements at fixed driving field H, where the influence of the extraordinary Hall effect leads to the observation of voltages at the longitudinal resistance probes. We observed a good fit to the scaling relation lnv∝H^−1/4, consistent the motion of a single 1-dimensional wall moving in a 2-dimensional disordered medium in the creep regime: the two walls are coupled together into a 1-dimensional composite object.     

Simulation of electroforming of the Pt/NiO/Pt switching memory structure

We analyze experimental data on a transient thermal electroforming of a Pt/NiO/Pt unipolar memory switching structure. Numerical simulation of this process shows that the channel can be identified with the melting region of nickel oxide, in which its cross section is determined by the maximal breakdown current, a considerable contribution to which can come from a parasitic capacitance. Rough analytic approximations are given for estimating the channel formation parameters.