Electrical characteristics of metal-ferroelectric (PbZrxTi1-x O-3)-insulator (Ta2O5)-silicon structure for nonvolatile memory applications

A metal-ferroelectric-insulator-silicon (MFIS) structure using leaw-zircona te-titanate (PZT) as the ferroelectric layer and Ta2O5 as the insulator lay er is fabricated. This structure is studied for the potential application o f nonvolatile memory devices. The Ta2O5 layer is used as a buffer layer to minimize the out diffusion of silicon atoms during heat treatment processes . High frequency capacitance-voltage measurements show a flat band voltage shift of 13 V under a +/-15 V writing pulse. The interface-trap density D-i t is measured by the conductance method. The MFIS capacitors are shown to h ave a fatigue lifetime of 1 X 10(11) cycles and 5 X 10(7) cycles for 11.4 a nd 15 V writing pulses, respectively. (C) 2000 American Vacuum Society. [S0 734-211X(00)04906-4].