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Advanced electrical characterization of ferroelectric thin films: facts and artifacts

L. PINTILIE1,*

Affiliation

  1. National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 105bis P.O. Box MG 7, Bucharest-Magurele, Ilfov, Romania

Abstract

Ferroelectric materials in thin film form, largely used in a broad variety of high-tech applications, are characterized by performing electrical measurements on capacitor-like structures. A complete characterization should include hysteresis, capacitance, and current measurements performed at different bias voltages, frequencies and temperatures. The analysis of the experimental data should be made considering that the real test structure is metal-ferroelectric-metal, and taking care of the direct impact of the microstructure on the macroscopically measured quantities. Further on, the theoretical models developed to simulate the experimental results should be able to explain simultaneously the data obtained from different types of electrical measurements. The main type of electrical measurements performed on ferroelectric capacitors will be discussed in detail. A special attention will be given to some important problems such as: the electrode-ferroelectric interfaces; calculation of the dielectric constant; intrinsic-versus-extrinsic contributions to the value of the dielectric constant; fake hysteresis loops and the question “Is the presence of the hysteresis cycle solid evidence for the presence of ferroelectricity?”; non-conventional contributions to the polarization charge and their effect on the frequency dependence of the hysteresis loop; conduction mechanisms in different ferroelectric materials. Some “hot” topic will be also discussed, as for example the validity of the serial model in the case of ferroelectric multilayers, and the coexistence of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric behavior in some structures and multilayers. The presentation is supported by experimental material collected by the author in the last 7 years, especially during his extended stay at the Max Planck Institute from Halle, Germany..

Keywords

Ferroelectric films, Hysteresis, Capacitance, Current, Electrode interface.

Submitted at: Oct. 25, 2008
Accepted at: March 24, 2009

Citation

L. PINTILIE, Advanced electrical characterization of ferroelectric thin films: facts and artifacts, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 11, Iss. 3, pp. 215-228 (2009)