Lu-Qi Wei: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
Zhao Guan: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
Wen-Yi Tong: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China. ORCID
Wen-Cheng Fan: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
Abliz Mattursun: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
Bin-Bin Chen: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China. ORCID
Ping-Hua Xiang: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China. ORCID
Genquan Han: School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi'an, 710071, China. ORCID
Chun-Gang Duan: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China. ORCID
Ni Zhong: Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Center of Brain-inspired Intelligent Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China. ORCID
The discovery of nanoscale ferroelectricity in hafnia (HfO) has paved the way for next generation high-density, non-volatile devices. Although the surface conditions of nanoscale HfO present one of the fundamental mechanism origins, the impact of external environment on HfO ferroelectricity remains unknown. In this study, the deleterious effect of ambient moisture is examined on the stability of ferroelectricity using HfZrO (HZO) films as a model system. It is found that the development of an intrinsic electric field due to the adsorption of atmospheric water molecules onto the film's surface significantly impairs the properties of domain retention and polarization stability. Nonetheless, vacuum heating efficiently counteracts the adverse effects of water adsorption, which restores the symmetric electrical characteristics and polarization stability. This work furnishes a novel perspective on previous extensive studies, demonstrating significant impact of surface water on HfO-based ferroelectrics, and establishes the design paradigm for the future evolution of HfO-based multifunctional electronic devices.
