Atomic Layer Deposition of Ferroelectric HfxZr(1-x)O2 from Metal-β-diketonate Precursors with Fine Cation Tunability.
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: HfxZr1-xO2 (HZO) is a promising ferroelectric material for next-generation neuromorphic devices, where precise compositional control and complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) compatible processing are critical. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is particularly attractive for HZO integration due to its excellent conformality for future three-dimensional device architectures and possibility to control the composition. However, many widely used Hf and Zr precursors suffer from limited volatility and thermal stability. In this work, we exploit the robustness and favourable growth rates of the β-diketonate precursors Hf(thd)4 and Zr(thd)4 (thd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5heptanedionate) - with ozone co-reactant – to demonstrate the ALD growth of binary HfO2, ZrO2, and ferroelectric HZO thin films with finely controlled Hf/Zr cation ratios enabling the Hf/Zr composition required for ferroelectric thin films. Optimized binary ALD processes yield low growth-per-cycle (GPC) values of 0.085 Å/cycle for HfO2 and 0.12 Å/cycle for ZrO2, these low GPCs enable fine and reproducible control of the Hf:Zr
Source: ChemRxiv
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221611210