Phase Field Modeling of Domain Dynamics and Polarization Accumulation in Ferroelectric HZO

Abstract: In this work, we investigate the accumulative polarization (P) switching characteristics of ferroelectric (FE) thin films under the influence of sequential electric-field pulses. By developing a dynamic phase-field simulation framework based on time-dependent Landau-Ginzburg model, we analyze P excitation and relaxation characteristics in FE. In particular, we show that the domain-wall instability can cause different spontaneous P-excitation/relaxation behaviors that, in turn, can influence P switching dynamics for different pulse sequences. By assuming a local and global distribution of coercive field among the grains of an FE sample, we model the P-accumulation process in Hf0.4Zr0.6O2 (HZO) and its dependency on applied electric field and excitation/relaxation time. According to our analysis, domain-wall motion along with its instability under certain conditions plays a pivotal role in accumulative P-switching and the corresponding excitation and relaxation characteristics.