Voltage-driven engineering for concurrent enhancement of ferroelectricity and endurance in HZO-based ferroelectric devices

Abstract

To advance beyond the limitations of Moore's law, the development of novel non-volatile materials is essential for overcoming the scaling challenges of conventional memory technologies. Among them, HfO₂-based ferroelectrics have attracted considerable attention due to their ability to exhibit ferroelectricity even at thicknesses of a few nanometers, as well as their compatibility with standard CMOS processes. However, the cycling effects inherent to HfO₂-based ferroelectrics remain a significant obstacle to their application in non-volatile memory devices. Despite various perspectives on the origin of these effects, strategies to effectively suppress endurance degradation have not yet been fully established. In this study, we investigate the origin of cycling effects in HZO-based ferroelectric devices and optimise the electrical conditions required to maximise ferroelectric performance and endurance reliability. Two representative phenomena—wake-up and fatigue effects—are analysed and modulated from the perspectives of phase transition and domain de-pinning. As a result, we demonstrate a 3.4-fold increase in remanent polarisation (P_r) compared to the pristine state, and achieve ∼98% retention of P_r after 10⁹ endurance cycles. These findings present a viable strategy for enhancing both ferroelectricity and long-term reliability in HfO₂-based memory devices, paving the way for their integration into future neuromorphic and non-volatile memory applications.