Crystals (Aug 2021)

RF-Characterization of HZO Thin Film Varactors

  • Sukhrob Abdulazhanov,
  • Quang Huy Le,
  • Dang Khoa Huynh,
  • Defu Wang,
  • Maximilian Lederer,
  • Ricardo Olivo,
  • Konstantin Mertens,
  • Jennifer Emara,
  • Thomas Kämpfe,
  • Gerald Gerlach

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080980
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 8
p. 980

Abstract

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A microwave characterization at UHF band of a ferroelectric hafnium zirconium oxide metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) capacitors for varactor applications has been performed. By using an impedance reflectivity method, a complex dielectric permittivity was obtained at frequencies up to 500 MHz. Ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 of 10 nm thickness has demonstrated a stable permittivity switching in the whole frequency range. A constant increase of the calculated dielectric loss is observed, which is shown to be an effect of electric field distribution on highly resistive titanium nitride (TiN) thin film electrodes. The C-V characteristics of a “butterfly” shape was also extracted, where the varactors exhibited a reduction of capacitance tunability from 18.6% at 10 MHz to 15.4% at 500 MHz.

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