Ferroelectric Thin Films and Piezoelectric Acoustic Wave Devices
This community focuses on the engineering of ferroelectric and piezoelectric thin films, specifically hafnium-zirconium oxides and aluminum nitrides, for use in non-volatile memory, field-effect transistors, and acoustic wave resonators.
The work centers on depositing ultrathin films of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, and aluminum nitride, often doped with scandium, to achieve stable ferroelectric phases. Recurring methods include atomic layer deposition and the study of polarization switching dynamics. The applications are distinct: one strand develops ferroelectric field-effect transistors and non-volatile memory for low-power computing and neuromorphic devices, while the other designs bulk and surface acoustic wave resonators for high-frequency filtering in telecommunications. The materials are optimized for CMOS compatibility, with specific attention to coercive fields, endurance, and energy storage in capacitor structures.
The largest share of the community's output is found in hafnium research, accounting for 7.6% of all hafnium studies, with 2,153 papers in this group. Scandium research also features prominently, representing 4.8% of scandium studies with 673 papers. Silicon and aluminum contribute the highest raw paper counts, with 1,180 and 997 papers respectively, though these represent smaller shares of their total elemental research.
This community comprises 8,463 papers, publishing most frequently in Applied Physics Letters, IEEE Electron Device Letters, and Journal of Applied Physics.
Recent work continues to refine hafnium-based ferroelectric memories for NAND flash and neuromorphic computing, while also advancing aluminum nitride piezoelectric membranes for micromachined ultrasonic transducers and acoustic filters.