ScAlN-Based ITO Channel Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors With Large Memory Window

In this article, we demonstrate ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) in a back-gate configuration by harnessing the polarization switching characteristics of epitaxially grown ferroelectric scandium aluminum nitride (ScAlN) to control the conductance of an indium-tin oxide (ITO) channel. The ferroelectric transistors show a large memory window of ~0.42 V/nm. A high ON current along with a large ON/OFF current ratio of ~106 is observed owing to ferroelectric polarization-induced carrier modulation in the ITO channel. The distinct ON/OFF states and the memory window were preserved after 105 cycles while simultaneously showing retention time >105 s. The integration of a nitride ferroelectric (ScAlN) with a promising channel material (ITO) as demonstrated in this work provides a unique opportunity to realize high-performance FeFETs for in-memory computing and edge intelligent applications.