Interface-controlled uniaxial in-plane ferroelectricity in Hf0.5Zr0.5O2(100) epitaxial thin films

Kai Liu, Feng Jin, Tianyuan Zhu, Jie Fang, Xingchang Zhang, Erhao Peng, Kuan Liu, Qiming Lv, Kunjie Dai, Yajun Tao, Jingdi Lu, Haoliang Huang, Jiachen Li, Shouzhe Dong, Shengchun Shen, Yuewei Yin, Houbing Huang, Zhenlin Luo (), Chao Ma (), Shi Liu (), Lingfei Wang () and Wenbin Wu ()
Additional contact information
Kai Liu: University of Science and Technology of China
Feng Jin: University of Science and Technology of China
Tianyuan Zhu: Westlake University
Jie Fang: University of Science and Technology of China
Xingchang Zhang: Hunan University
Erhao Peng: University of Science and Technology of China
Kuan Liu: University of Science and Technology of China
Qiming Lv: University of Science and Technology of China
Kunjie Dai: University of Science and Technology of China
Yajun Tao: University of Science and Technology of China
Jingdi Lu: University of Science and Technology of China
Haoliang Huang: Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Jiachen Li: University of Science and Technology of China
Shouzhe Dong: Beijing Institute of Technology
Shengchun Shen: University of Science and Technology of China
Yuewei Yin: University of Science and Technology of China
Houbing Huang: Beijing Institute of Technology
Zhenlin Luo: University of Science and Technology of China
Chao Ma: Hunan University
Shi Liu: Westlake University
Lingfei Wang: University of Science and Technology of China
Wenbin Wu: University of Science and Technology of China

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Hafnium oxide-based ferroelectric thin films are widely recognized as a CMOS-compatible and highly scalable material platform for next-generation non-volatile memory and logic devices. While out-of-plane ferroelectricity in hafnium oxide films has been intensively investigated and utilized in devices, purely in-plane ferroelectricity of hafnium oxides remains unexplored. In this work, we demonstrate a reversible structural modulation of the orthorhombic phase Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films between (111)-oriented [HZO(111)O] multi-domain and (100)-oriented [HZO(100)O] single-domain configurations by altering perovskite oxide buffer layers. Unlike conventional out-of-plane polarized HZO(111)O films, the HZO(100)O films exhibit uniaxial in-plane ferroelectric polarization, sustained even at a thickness of 1.0 nm. Furthermore, the in-plane ferroelectric switching achieves an ultralow coercivity of ~0.5 MV/cm. The HZO(100)O phase is stabilized by a staggered interfacial reconstruction, driven by the delicate interplays between symmetry mismatch and surface energy. These findings pave the way for innovative device designs and strategies for modulating the functionalities of hafnium oxide-based ferroelectrics.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62610-3

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