Effect of Film Thickness on the Ferroelectric and Dielectric Properties of Low-Temperature (400 ⁰C) Hf₀.₅Zr₀.₅O₂ Films

We report on the effect of the Hf₀.₅Zr₀.₅O₂ (HZO) film thickness on the ferroelectric and dielectric properties using pulse write/read measurements. HZO films of thicknesses ranging from 5 to 20 nm were annealed at 400 ⁰C for 1min in a nitrogen ambient to be compatible with the back-end of the line thermal budget. As the HZO film thickness decreases, low-voltage operation (1.0V or less) can be achieved without the dead layer effect, although switching polarization (P_{sw}) tends to decrease due to the smaller grain size. Meanwhile, for 20-nm-thick HZO films prepared under the identical stress (similar TiN top electrode thickness and thermal budget), the P_{sw} and dielectric constant are reduced because of additional monoclinic phase formation.