Switching Dynamics in Metal–Ferroelectric HfZrO₂–Metal Structures

The existence of negative capacitance (NC) and the switching dynamics of ferroelectric HfZrO ₂ (FE-HZO) metal–ferroelectric–Metal (MFM) structures are still contentious and unclear. Experiments with HZO MFM structures have yielded contradictory results. In this work, we perform a detailed study of the switching characteristics of HZO MFM structures. We have developed a pulse measurement setup that aims to minimize and carefully calibrate all circuit and sample parasitics. This allows us to isolate the intrinsic dynamic response of MFM FE-HZO structures. In contrast to other reports ON resistor-MFM (R-MFM) networks, no evidence of NC effect is observed over a broad range of conditions. Instead, in all cases, the extracted charge–voltage characteristics closely match the quasi-static hysteresis loop. In addition, we have confirmed that charge–voltage loops under the fast switching MFM configuration achievable in our experimental setup are consistent with those of R-MFM networks. Our study makes evident the crucial role of parasitics in the dynamic characterization of R-MFM circuits and the potential for misinterpretation of NC effects.