Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics
Abstract Wurtzite ferroelectrics hold immense promise to revolutionize modern micro- and nano-electronics due to their compatibility with semiconductor technologies. However, the presence of interfacial dead layers with irreversible polarization limits their development and applications, and the for...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61291-2 |
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| author | Jinlin Wang Yun-Qin Li Rui Wang Qi Liu Haotian Ye Ping Wang Xifan Xu Huaiyuan Yang Fang Liu Bowen Sheng Liuyun Yang Xiaoyang Yin Yi Tong Tao Wang Wen-Yi Tong Xin-Zheng Li Chun-Gang Duan Bo Shen Xinqiang Wang |
| author_facet | Jinlin Wang Yun-Qin Li Rui Wang Qi Liu Haotian Ye Ping Wang Xifan Xu Huaiyuan Yang Fang Liu Bowen Sheng Liuyun Yang Xiaoyang Yin Yi Tong Tao Wang Wen-Yi Tong Xin-Zheng Li Chun-Gang Duan Bo Shen Xinqiang Wang |
| author_sort | Jinlin Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Wurtzite ferroelectrics hold immense promise to revolutionize modern micro- and nano-electronics due to their compatibility with semiconductor technologies. However, the presence of interfacial dead layers with irreversible polarization limits their development and applications, and the formation mechanisms of dead layers remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that dead layer formation in ScAlN, a representative wurtzite ferroelectric, originates from a high density of nitrogen vacancies in combination with interfacial strain. Atomic-scale investigations using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), supported by first-principles calculations, reveal that compressive strain near the ScAlN/GaN interface reduces the formation energy of nitrogen vacancies, promoting their generation. These vacancies degrade dielectric properties and raise the ferroelectric switching barrier, the latter further exacerbated by compressive strain. These combined effects suppress polarization reversibility near the interface. This work elucidates the microscopic origin of interfacial dead layers and highlights the significance of defect and strain engineering in wurtzite ferroelectrics, which are essential to advancing their integration and scalability in next-generation electronic devices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b5bf1e36101649ec8e47b3f99db1bb68 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-b5bf1e36101649ec8e47b3f99db1bb682025-08-20T03:37:38ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-61291-2Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectricsJinlin Wang0Yun-Qin Li1Rui Wang2Qi Liu3Haotian Ye4Ping Wang5Xifan Xu6Huaiyuan Yang7Fang Liu8Bowen Sheng9Liuyun Yang10Xiaoyang Yin11Yi Tong12Tao Wang13Wen-Yi Tong14Xin-Zheng Li15Chun-Gang Duan16Bo Shen17Xinqiang Wang18State Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityKey Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (MOE), School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversitySuzhou LaboratoryState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityKey Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (MOE), School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityKey Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (MOE), School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Frontier Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics and School of Physics, Peking UniversityAbstract Wurtzite ferroelectrics hold immense promise to revolutionize modern micro- and nano-electronics due to their compatibility with semiconductor technologies. However, the presence of interfacial dead layers with irreversible polarization limits their development and applications, and the formation mechanisms of dead layers remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that dead layer formation in ScAlN, a representative wurtzite ferroelectric, originates from a high density of nitrogen vacancies in combination with interfacial strain. Atomic-scale investigations using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), supported by first-principles calculations, reveal that compressive strain near the ScAlN/GaN interface reduces the formation energy of nitrogen vacancies, promoting their generation. These vacancies degrade dielectric properties and raise the ferroelectric switching barrier, the latter further exacerbated by compressive strain. These combined effects suppress polarization reversibility near the interface. This work elucidates the microscopic origin of interfacial dead layers and highlights the significance of defect and strain engineering in wurtzite ferroelectrics, which are essential to advancing their integration and scalability in next-generation electronic devices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61291-2 |
| spellingShingle | Jinlin Wang Yun-Qin Li Rui Wang Qi Liu Haotian Ye Ping Wang Xifan Xu Huaiyuan Yang Fang Liu Bowen Sheng Liuyun Yang Xiaoyang Yin Yi Tong Tao Wang Wen-Yi Tong Xin-Zheng Li Chun-Gang Duan Bo Shen Xinqiang Wang Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics Nature Communications |
| title | Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics |
| title_full | Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics |
| title_short | Unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics |
| title_sort | unveiling interfacial dead layer in wurtzite ferroelectrics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61291-2 |
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