Tunnel electroresistance in junctions with ultrathin ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 barriers

Pantel, Daniel; Lu, Haidong; Goetze, Silvana; Werner, P.; Kim, Dong Jik; Gruverman, Alexei; Hesse, D.; Alexe, Marin

doi:10.1063/1.4726120

Cited by 103 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The role of ferroelectricity in the resistive switching process is now established, with the correlation of the tunnel resistance with non-uniform configurations of ferroelectric domains observed within the devices by PFM 7,39,43 . However, some influence of electrochemical phenomena correlated with ferroelectric polarization switching cannot be completely excluded 40 .…”

Section: Electrical Control Of Spin-polarizationmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…FTJs with dimensions of the order of 200 nm have been demonstrated 7,36,43 , and there are some preliminary results with devices o100 nm (refs 30,37,38). Investigations on nanoscale tunnel junctions are required to evaluate the limit of scalability of the devices and assess their potential as non-volatile memories and as memristors in massively parallel architectures 80 .…”

Section: Electrical Control Of Spin-polarizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ferroelectric tunnel junctions for information storage and processing

2014

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Computer memory that is non-volatile and therefore able to retain its information even when switched off enables computers that do not need to be booted up. One of the technologies for such applications is ferroelectric random access memories, where information is stored as ferroelectric polarization. To miniaturize such devices to the size of a few nanometres, ferroelectric tunnel junctions have seen considerable interest. There, the electric polarization determines the electrical resistance of these thin films, switching the current on and off. With control over other parameters such as magnetism also being possible, ferroelectric tunnel junctions represent a promising and flexible device design. F erroelectric random access memories (FeRAMs), in which information is encoded through the ferroelectric polarization, are commercially available products with fast write speed, large read/write cycle endurance and low-power consumption 1 . In these ferroelectric capacitors, a ferroelectric thin film (typically 100 nm thick) is sandwiched between two electrodes and the remnant polarization is switched by applying an electric field between the electrodes. The widespread development of these memories is however limited owing to the capacitive readout of the information (the polarization) that prevents the scalability of FeRAMs up to gigabit densities and necessitates the rewriting of information after readout (destructive readout) 2 . In ferroelectric diodes, the current across a thick ferroelectric can be modulated by the polarization at the ferroelectric/electrode interface, giving rise to a non-destructive, resistive readout of the information 3,4 . But in these devices, the large thickness of the ferroelectric layer results in very low readout currents, limiting their miniaturization. As the ferroelectric layer thickness is decreased to a few nanometres, electronic conduction is greatly enhanced as quantum-mechanical tunnelling through the ferroelectric becomes possible 5,6 . These devices in which two electrodes sandwich a ferroelectric tunnel barrier are called ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs). The tunnel transmission may be strongly modulated by the ferroelectric polarization producing giant tunnel electroresistance (TER) with OFF/ON resistance ratios reaching 10 4 (refs 7,8). Moreover, the readout current densities are much larger than in ferroelectric diodes, thereby opening the path to possible applications as high-density ferroelectric memories with non-destructive readout.Here we review the fast progress of the nascent field of FTJs and give perspectives for new physical effects and future applications. We first summarize possible electron transport mechanisms that occur when voltage is applied across ultrathin films of ferroelectrics. We then focus on experimental reports that evidence a direct correlation between ferroelectric switching and resistive switching, from local probes experiments on ferroelectric surfaces to solid-state

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Section: Electrical Control Of Spin-polarizationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Electrical Control Of Spin-polarizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions for information storage and processing

2014

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“…10 In most cases, the resistance change in FTJs is interpreted as the result of a modification of the tunnel barrier profile or width upon polarization reversal of the ferroelectric barrier. 11,12,4,5,13,14,7,15 In order to explain the resistance contrast, simple electrostatic models consider different screening lengths for the top and bottom electrodes. 2,3,16 First-principle calculations, however, underline the importance of microscopic atomic bond strengths where ionic relaxations govern the dielectric properties at the metal/ferroelectric interface.…”

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confidence: 99%

Engineering ferroelectric tunnel junctions through potential profile shaping

et al. 2015

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We explore the influence of the top electrode materials (W, Co, Ni, Ir) on the electronic band profile in ferroelectric tunnel junctions based on super-tetragonal BiFeO3. Large variations of the transport properties are observed at room temperature. In particular, the analysis of current vs. voltage curves by a direct tunneling model indicates that the metal/ferroelectric interfacial barrier height increases with the top-electrode work function. While larger metal work functions result in larger OFF/ON ratios, they also produce a large internal electric field which results in large and potentially destructive switching voltages.

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“…In an even thinner film ($2 nm) with submicrometer tunnel junction structure, FTJ tunneling behavior can be well-identified. 19 These efforts pave the way for further investigating the electric properties of ultrathin ferroelectric films using very small electrodes.…”

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confidence: 99%

Nanoscale ferroelectric tunnel junctions based on ultrathin BaTiO3 film and Ag nanoelectrodes

Gao

Liu

et al. 2012

Applied Physics Letters

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Electron field emission from reduced graphene oxide on polymer film Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 033102 (2013) Effect of tunneling transfer on thermal redistribution of carriers in hybrid dot-well nanostructures J. Appl. Phys. 113, 034309 (2013) Negative differential resistance in electron tunneling in ultrathin films near the two-dimensional limit J. Appl. Phys. 113, 034308 (2013) Simultaneous measurement of tunneling current and atomic dipole moment on Si(111)-(7×7) surface by noncontact scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy

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Tunnel electroresistance in junctions with ultrathin ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 barriers

Cited by 103 publications

References 33 publications

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions for information storage and processing

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions for information storage and processing

Engineering ferroelectric tunnel junctions through potential profile shaping

Nanoscale ferroelectric tunnel junctions based on ultrathin BaTiO3 film and Ag nanoelectrodes

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