Examination of Ferroelectric Domain Dynamics in HZO under Endurance Cycling Stress

We investigate domain wall (DW) movement in hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) under various temperature (
T
) and cycling stresses. It is demonstrated that cycling stress distinctly impacts the behavior in the DW relaxation, creep, and flow regimes. Specifically, cycling stress increases the energy barrier that DW must overcome to transition from the relaxation to creep regime. However, it has a negligible effect on the boundary condition of the electrical (
E
)-field value between the creep and flow regimes. Consequently, a
T-E
phase diagram for HZO is presented, which distinctively delineates these regimes, and offers clear insights into the cycling stress-induced changes in ferroelectric DW dynamics.