Microanalysis of Ferroelectric Memories Using Micro X-Ray Diffraction
Since the advent of the microdiffractometer a new world of analysis possibilities have opened. In this paper we will discuss a novel use of microdifraction. We have developed a method for monitoring domain switching in ferroelectric thin films in situ using micro x-ray diffraction (μXRD). μXRD is a nontraditional x-ray diffraction technique which has recently attracted much attention [3]. The microdiffractometer is capable of obtaining a diffraction pattern from 0 – 150° 20 simultaneously from regions as small as 30μm in diameter. The purpose of this study was to determine if ferroelectric switching of ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films can be observed using μXRD. This method will be extremely valuable as we target the necessary processing parameters to achieve the desired switching behaviors and to monitor switching in micron-sized devices.