Ferroelectric
and antiferroelectric materials are promising options
for energy-related (such as energy harvesting, energy storage, IR
detection, and refrigeration) and memory applications (such as ferroelectric
random-access memory (FeRAM) and ferroelectric field-effect transistor
(FeFET)). In the past, several classes of materials (such as polymers,
ceramics, single crystals, and glasses) have been studied for these
properties. However, because of a large deposition thickness (in micrometers
or larger), these materials are inappropriate for future nanoscale
devices. Recently, the ferroelectric and antiferroelectric HfO2-based thin films have also been studied for the energy-related
and memory applications. HfO2-based materials have many
advantages over the conventional materials, such as compatibility
with Si-based semiconductor technology, ultrasmall thicknesses (nm),
and simple compositions, and they are appropriate for integration
within 3-D nanostructures. HfO2-based materials can be
promising for energy-related applications, such as energy storage,
pyroelectric energy harvesting, IR sensors, and solid-state cooling.
This article provides some basic knowledge of these energy-related
properties. Moreover, this article reviews the energy-related properties
of HfO2-based thin films, their origins, and the prospects
of this research field.