Ruthenium oxide and strontium ruthenate electrodes for ferroelectric thin-films capacitors

Metallic ruthenium and ruthenium oxides, such as SrRuO₃ and RuO₂, are potential electrode materials for ferroelectric capacitors. The electrical properties (e.g. leakage currents) of such thin film devices are dependent on the electronic properties of the electrode/ferroelectric junctions and therefore also on the electrode work functions. During growth and processing of film-electrode layer structures the formation of sub-oxides within the electrode is possible, with their work functions being unknown. In order to obtain information for predicting device properties, we have systematically analysed the valence bands and work functions of RuO_x and SrRuO_y thin films with different oxidation states by using photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The results suggest that Ru⁰ and Ru⁴⁺ ions are present in co-existence at the surfaces of oxygen-deficient polycrystalline films (inhomogeneous oxidation). For both oxygen-deficient materials the work function coincides with that of metallic ruthenium (4.6ǂ.1 eV). Only for fully oxidised ruthenium oxide and strontium ruthenate films (no Ru⁰ present at the surface) is the work function increased to 5.0 or 4.9 eV, respectively. As an example of importance for new dynamic random access memory applications, the junctions of Ba_1-xSr_xTiO₃ with SrRuO_y and RuO_x are discussed.