Effect of boron concentration on local structure and spontaneous polarization in AlBN thin films

Autor: S. Calderon V, John Hayden, M. Delower, Jon-Paul Maria, Elizabeth C. Dickey
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: APL Materials, Vol 12, Iss 2, Pp 021105-021105-7 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2166-532X
DOI: 10.1063/5.0179942
Popis: The discovery of ferroelectricity in polar wurtzite-based ternary materials, such as Al1−xBxN, has attracted attention due to their compatibility with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor processes and potential use in integrated non-volatile memory devices. However, the origin of ferroelectricity and the fundamental control of the polarization switching in these materials are still under intensive investigation but appear to be related to local disorder induced from the alloying. In this work, we report the effect of boron alloying on the local structure of Al1−xBxN films deposited by magnetron sputtering. Our results reveal a diminished crystalline order as a function of boron concentration, accompanied by a reduction in the spontaneous polarization. The film disorder is primarily associated with the dissimilar bond lengths between Al–N and B–N and the formation of threading dislocations induced by B incorporation in the structure.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals