High-Speed and Low-Power Ferroelectric HfO₂/ZrO₂ Superlattice FinFET Memory Device Using AlON Interfacial Layer

A 12-nm HfO <tex-math notation="LaTeX">₂</tex-math> /ZrO <tex-math notation="LaTeX">₂</tex-math> superlattice (SL-HZO) ferroelectric fin field-effect transistor (Fe-FinFET) with a 1-nm AlON interfacial layer (IL) was presented as a first demonstration for memory device applications. Compared to conventional HZO, SL-HZO exhibits higher polarization during program/erase cycling. This is attributed to the larger dielectric constant of SL-HZO, which mitigates the voltage drop in the IL, thereby enabling lower operating voltage and a larger memory window (MW). In addition, both the ferroelectric (FE) layer and IL are deposited in the same atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber, which significantly reduces device contamination. AlON/SL-HZO Fe-FinFET shows a significant MW, reaching up to 2.44 V, and achieves high-speed program/erase operations with a duration of 100 ns at <tex-math notation="LaTeX">±</tex-math> 4.5 V. The endurance can reach 10 <tex-math notation="LaTeX">⁴</tex-math> cycles, and the MW remains stable at 2.4 V over ten years at room temperature (RT). Therefore, the fabricated AlON-based SL-HZO Fe-FinFET meets the requirements for future high-speed, low-power, and sufficiently large MW applications. It holds promising potential for development in memory devices.