Operando hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the Pt/Ru/PbZr$_{0.52}$Ti$_{0.48}$O$_3$ interface

Ibrahima Gueye (1) , Gwenael Le Rhun (1) , Olivier Renault (1) , David Cooper (1) , Denis Ceolin (2) , Jean-Pascal Rueff (2) , Nicholas Barrett (3)

1 CEA-LETI - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information
2 SSOLEIL - Synchrotron SOLEIL
3 LENSIS - Laboratoire d'Etude des NanoStructures et Imagerie de Surface

We have used hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to probe the Pt/Ru/PbZr$_{0.52}$Ti${0.48}$O$_3$ (PZT) interface in a Pt/Ru/PZT(220 nm)/Pt/TiO$_2$/SiO$_2$/Si stack. A customized sample-holder allows in-situ photoemission analysis while applying bias to the capacitor. Hard X-rays probe the buried interface between the top electrode and the ferroelectric PZT. The use of operando conditions reveals a polarization-dependent electronic response, most probably due to imperfect screening of the depolarizing field. There is evidence for an additional core level component related to the electrode-PZT interface. Zr oxide nanostructures at the surface of the sol-gel layer may form a ferroelectric dead layer at the interface, affecting device performance.

Domains: Physics [physics]

Ibrahima Gueye, Gwenael Le Rhun, Olivier Renault, David Cooper, Denis Ceolin, et al.. Operando hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the Pt/Ru/PbZr$_{0.52}$Ti$_{0.48}$O$_3$ interface. Applied Physics Letters, 2017, 111, pp.32906. ⟨10.1063/1.4993909⟩. ⟨cea-01591616⟩