Modeling Fatigue-Breakdown Dilemma in Ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 and Optimized Programming Strategies

The fatigue-breakdown dilemma that prevents prolonged endurance in the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) ferroelectric (FE) capacitor is modeled for the first time. A multi-domain FE-switching model considering the detailed local charge trapping/detrapping, strong depolarization field, and defect generation at interfacial layers (ILs) successfully simulates domain pinning, recovery, and breakdown in polycrystalline HZO. Our model not only shows a good agreement with experiments but also highlights the crucial role of ILs in optimizing endurance. Also, programming strategies using different recovery schemes and a triangular pulse are discussed.