Ferroelectric tunnel junctions: Crossing the wall

Realizing multiple non-volatile resistance states in a two-dimensional domain wall ferroelectric tunneling junction

Two-dimensional ferroelectric tunnel junctions (2D FTJs) with an ultrathin van der Waals ferroelectrics sandwiched by two electrodes have great applications in memory and synaptic devices. Domain walls (DWs), formed naturally in ferroelectrics, are being actively explored for their low energy consumption, reconfigurable, and non-volatile multi-resistance characteristics in memory, logic and neuromorphic devices. However, DWs with multiple resistance states in 2D FTJ have rarely been explored and reported. Here, we propose the formation of 2D FTJ with multiple non-volatile resistance states manipulated by neutral DWs in a nanostripe-ordered β'-In₂Se₃ monolayer. By combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations with nonequilibrium Green's function method, we found that a large TER ratio can be obtained due to the blocking effect of DWs on the electronic transmission. Multiple conductance states are readily obtained by introducing different numbers of the DWs. This work opens a new route to designing multiple non-volatile resistance states in 2D DW-FTJ.

Enhanced Tunneling Magnetoresistance Effect via Ferroelectric Control of Interface Electronic/Magnetic Reconstructions

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with tunable tunneling magnetoresistances (TMR) have already been proven to have great potential for spintronics. Especially, when ferroelectric materials are used as insulating barriers, more novel functions of MTJs can be realized due to interface magnetoelectric coupling. Here, we demonstrate a very large ferroelectric modulation of TMR (as high as 570% in low-resistance state) in the ferroelectric/magnetic La_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃/BaTiO₃ (LSMO/BTO) junctions and find robust interfacial electronic and magnetic reconstructions via ferroelectric polarization switching. Through electrical, magnetic, and optical measurements combined with X-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism, we reveal that the interfacial electronic and magnetic (ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic phase transition) reconstructions originate from strong electromagnetic coupling between BTO and LSMO at the interface and are driven by the modulation of hole/electron doping at the interface of LSMO/BTO through ferroelectric polarization switching. As a result, the ferroelectrically controlled interface barrier height and width and spin filter effect enable a giant electrical modulation of TMR. Our results shed new light on the intrinsic mechanisms governing magnetoelectric coupling and offering a new route to enhance magnetoelectric coupling for spin control in spintronic devices.

Room-Temperature Ferroelectricity in 2D Metal-Tellurium-Oxyhalide Cd7Te7Cl8O17 via Selenium-Induced Selective-Bonding Growth

Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials have attracted increasing interest due to meeting the requirements of integration, miniaturization, and multifunction of devices. However, the exploration of intrinsic 2D ferroelectric materials is still in the early stage, for which the related reports are still limited, especially fewer ones prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Here, the ultrathin metal-tellurium-oxyhalide Cd₇Te₇Cl₈O₁₇ (CTCO) flakes as thin as 3.8 nm are realized via the selenium-induced selective-bonding CVD method. The growth mechanism has been confirmed by experiments and theoretical calculations, which can be ascribed to the induction of selective bonding of a hydrogen atom in H₂O molecules by the introduction of selenium, leading to the generation of strong oxidants. Excitingly, switchable out-of-plane ferroelectric polarization was observed in CTCO flakes down to 6 nm at room temperature, which may be caused by mobile Cl vacancies. This work has implications for the synthesis and applications of 2D ferroelectric materials.

Domain-Wall Tunneling Electroresistance Effect

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) utilizing an in-plane head-to-head ferroelectric domain wall (DW) have recently been realized, showing interesting physics and new functionalities. However, the DW state in these junctions was found to be metastable and not reversible after applying an electric field. In this work, we demonstrate that a stable and reversible head-to-head DW state can be achieved in FTJs by proper engineering of polar interfaces. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and phenomenological modeling, we explore the DW stability by varying stoichiometry of the La_{1-x}Sr_{x}O/TiO_{2} interfaces in FTJs with La_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}MnO_{3} electrodes and a ferroelectric BaTiO_{3} tunnel barrier. For, x≤0.4 we find that the DW state becomes a global minimum and the calculated hysteresis loops exhibit three reversible polarization states. For such FTJs, our quantum transport calculations predict the emergence of a DW tunneling electroresistance effect-reversible switching of the tunneling conductance between the highly conductive DW state and two much less conductive uniform polarization states.

Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions Enhanced by a Polar Oxide Barrier Layer

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) have recently aroused significant interest due to the interesting physics controlling their properties and potential application in nonvolatile memory devices. In this work, we propose a new concept to design high-performance FTJs based on ferroelectric/polar-oxide composite barriers. Using density functional theory calculations, we model electronic and transport properties of LaNiO₃/PbTiO₃/LaAlO₃/LaNiO₃ tunnel junctions and demonstrate that an ultrathin polar LaAlO₃(001) layer strongly enhances their performance. We predict a tunneling electroresistance (TER) effect in these FTJs with an OFF/ON resistance ratio exceeding a factor of 10⁴ and ON state resistance as low as about 1 kΩμm². Such an enhanced performance is driven by the ionic charge at the PbTiO₃/LaAlO₃ interface, which significantly increases transmission across the FTJ when the ferroelectric polarization of PbTiO₃ is pointing against the intrinsic electric field produced by this ionic charge. This is due to the formation of a two-dimensional (2D) electron or hole gas, depending on the LaAlO₃ termination being (LaO)⁺ or (AlO₂)^-, respectively, which is formed to screen the polarization charge of the nonuniform polarization state. This 2D electron (hole) gas can be switched ON and OFF by the reversal of ferroelectric polarization, resulting in the giant TER effect. The proposed design suggests a new direction for creating FTJs with a stable and reversible ferroelectric polarization, a sizable TER effect, and a low-resistance-area product, as required for memory applications.

Room-temperature ferroelectricity in MoTe2 down to the atomic monolayer limit

Ferroelectrics allow for a wide range of intriguing applications. However, maintaining ferroelectricity has been hampered by intrinsic depolarization effects. Here, by combining first-principles calculations and experimental studies, we report on the discovery of robust room-temperature out-of-plane ferroelectricity which is realized in the thinnest monolayer MoTe₂ with unexploited distorted 1T (d1T) phase. The origin of the ferroelectricity in d1T-MoTe₂ results from the spontaneous symmetry breaking due to the relative atomic displacements of Mo atoms and Te atoms. Furthermore, a large ON/OFF resistance ratio is achieved in ferroelectric devices composed of MoTe₂-based van der Waals heterostructure. Our work demonstrates that ferroelectricity can exist in two-dimensional layered material down to the atomic monolayer limit, which can result in new functionalities and achieve unexpected applications in atomic-scale electronic devices.

It is difficult to maintain ferroelectricity in the two dimensional limit. Here, the authors report robust room-temperature ferroelectricity in the thinnest monolayer MoTe₂ due to relative atomic displacements of Mo and Te atoms.