Environmental Control of Ferroelectricity in Hafnia Films.

ABSTRACT: Ferroelectricity in hafnia films has triggered significant research interest over the past decade due to its immense promise for next-generation memory devices. However, the origin of ferroic behavior at the nanoscale and the means to control it remain an open question, with the consensus being that it deviates from conventional ferroelectrics. In this work, a novel approach is presented to tune ferroelectric properties of hafnia through environmental control using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). A reversible transition from non-ferroelectric to ferroelectric behavior by modulating the surrounding atmosphere is demonstrated. Notably, the domain relaxation dynamics exhibit striking sensitivity to environmental factors, including ambient conditions, specific gas compositions (N_2</

SUBMITTER: Wani WA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12548525 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature