Switching current study: Hysteresis measurement of ferroelectric capacitors using current-voltage measurement method

In this study, we utilize the current-voltage (I-V) measurement method for investigating the ferroelectric characteristics of ferroelectric capacitors, such as hysteresis loops, switching current characteristics, retention properties and depolarization characteristics. By applying triangular voltage wave forms without sweeping and measuring delay, the hysteresis switching current characteristic was determined and the polarization-voltage (P-V) loop could be obtained using an integral calculus. Additionally, two kinds of poling measurement were utilized to investigate the full-switching and nonswitching current characteristics. A strong agreement was found between nonvolatile polarization (Delta P) obtained from P-V loops and that obtained by poling measurements. Moreover, modified poling measurements were utilized to study the retention property of ferroelectric capacitors. A dynamic switching current characteristic was found in retention duration and an increased coercive voltage was also observed in its half-hysteresis loops as remaining time increased. Furthermore, another modified poling profile was utilized to investigate the depolarization characteristics of ferroelectric films.