First-principles calculation of oxygen K-electron energy loss near edge structure of HfO(2)

An Aqueous Route to Oxygen-Deficient Wake-Up-Free La-Doped HfO2 Ferroelectrics for Negative Capacitance Field Effect Transistors

The crucial role of nanocrystalline morphology in stabilizing the ferroelectric orthorhombic (o)-phase in doped-hafnia films is achieved via chemical solution deposition (CSD) by intentionally retaining carbonaceous impurities to inhibit grain growth. However, in the present study, large-grained (>100 nm) La-doped HfO2 (HLO) films are grown directly on silicon by adopting engineered water-diluted precursors with a minimum carbonaceous load and excellent shelf life. The o-phase stabilization is accomplished through a well-distributed La dopant, which generates uniformly populated oxygen vacancies, eliminating the need for oxygen-scavenging electrodes. These oxygen-deficient HLOs show a maximum remnant polarization of 37.6 μC/cm2 (2Pr) without wake-up and withstand large fields (>6.2 MV/cm). Furthermore, CSD-HLO in series with Al2O3 improves switching of MOSFETs (with an amorphous oxide channel) based on the negative capacitance effect. Thus, uniformly distributed oxygen vacancies serve as a standalone factor in stabilizing the o-phase, enabling efficient wake-up-free ferroelectricity without the need for nanostructuring, capping stresses, or oxygen-reactive electrodes.

Highly enhanced ferroelectricity in HfO2-based ferroelectric thin film by light ion bombardment

Continuous advancement in nonvolatile and morphotropic beyond-Moore electronic devices requires integration of ferroelectric and semiconductor materials. The emergence of hafnium oxide (HfO₂)-based ferroelectrics that are compatible with atomic-layer deposition has opened interesting and promising avenues of research. However, the origins of ferroelectricity and pathways to controlling it in HfO₂ are still mysterious. We demonstrate that local helium (He) implantation can activate ferroelectricity in these materials. The possible competing mechanisms, including He ion-induced molar volume changes, vacancy redistribution, vacancy generation, and activation of vacancy mobility, are analyzed. These findings both reveal the origins of ferroelectricity in this system and open pathways for nanoengineered binary ferroelectrics.

Study of C K-Edge High Energy Resolution Energy-Loss Near-Edge Structures of Copper Phthalocyanine and Its Chlorinated Molecular Crystals by First-Principles Band Structure Calculations

High energy resolution energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) at the carbon K-edge of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and its chlorinated molecular crystals were observed using electron energy-loss spectroscopy combined with a scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with a monochromator. The ELNES spectra were investigated using first-principles band structure calculations with a core-hole introduced into the 1s orbitals of the nonequivalent C atoms. The calculated spectra including half a core-hole were consistent with the experimental spectra. The spectral features could be interpreted in terms of the different contributions of the partial density of states (PDOS) of nonequivalent C atoms with different transition energies depending on the site. The core-hole effects were also discussed using the spatial distribution of unoccupied states and PDOSs, which revealed site-dependent core-hole effects, where a C atom with a strong spatial distribution intensity of the unoccupied states in the ground state (GS) are susceptible to the core-hole effects. The spectral changes due to chlorination of the CuPc molecule were mainly attributed to an increase of the threshold energy of the C atoms bonded to chlorine, and the influence of the change in the PDOS by chlorination was not significantly large.