Switching properties of Pb(Nb, Zr, Ti)O3 capacitors using SrRuO3 electrodes

We report on ferroelectric properties of polycrystalline sol-gel derived Pb(Nb, Zr, Ti)O-3 (PNZT) thin films with SrRuO3 (SRO) electrodes. The processing temperature of the bottom electrode was varied between 550 and 850 degrees C. The polarization of the ferroelectric capacitors was dependent on the processing temperature of the bottom electrode. The capacitors exhibit low switching fields (40 kV/cm), high resistivity (10(11) Omega cm at 3 V) and high remanent polarization values (19 mu C/cm(2) at 3 V), desirable properties for high- density ferroelectric memories. The activation field for these capacitors was measured to be similar to 350 kV/cm and the polarization values exhibited a shallow dependence on the pulse width from 1 s to 1 mu s. Fatigue, logic state retention, and dynamic imprint tests indicate robust capacitors from a memory viewpoint. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)01138-9].