Optimization of the in situ biasing FIB sample preparation for hafnia-based ferroelectric capacitor

Hafnia-based ferroelectric (FE) thin films have received extensive attention in both academia and industry, benefitting from their outstanding scalability and excellent CMOS compatibility. Hafnia-based FE capacitors in particular have the potential to be used in dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) applications. Obtaining fine structure characterization at ultra-high spatial resolution is helpful for device performance optimization. Hence, sample preparation by the focused ion beam (FIB) system is an essential step, especially for in situ biasing experiments in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). In this work, we put forward three tips to improve the success rate of in situ biasing experiments: depositing a carbon protective layer to position the interface, welding the sample on the top of the Cu column of the TEM grid, and cutting the sample into a comb-like shape. By these means, in situ biasing of the FE capacitor was realized in TEM, and electric-field-induced tetragonal (t-) to monoclinic (m-) structure transitions in Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ FE film were observed. The improvement of FIB sample preparation technology can greatly enhance the quality of in situ biasing TEM samples, improve the success rate, and extend from capacitor sample preparation to other types.