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Two-dimensional ferroelectric monolayers are promising candidates for compact memory devices and flexible electronics. Here, through first-principles calculations, we predict room temperature ferroelectricity in AB-type monolayers comprising group III (A = Al, In, Ga) and group V (B = As, P, Sb) elements. We show that their spontaneous polarization, oriented out-of-plane, ranges from 9.48 to 13.96 pC/m, outperforming most known 2D ferroelectric. We demonstrate electric field tunable Berry curvature dipole and nonlinear Hall current in these monolayers. Additionally, we highlight their applicability in next-generation memory devices by forming efficient ferroelectric tunnel junctions, especially in InP, which supports high tunneling electroresistance. Our findings motivate further exploration of these monolayers for studying the interplay between Berry curvature and ferroelectricity and for integrating these ferroelectric monolayers in next-generation electronic devices.

Unlike bilayers or a few layers thick materials, heterostructures are designer materials formed by assembling different monolayers in any desired sequence. As a result, while multilayer materials come with their intrinsic properties, heterostructures can be tailor-made to suit specific applications. Taking SiH-CdCl 2 as a representative system, we show the potential of heterostructures for several applications, like piezoelectricity, photocatalytic water splitting, and tunnel field effect transistor (TFET). Our study confirms that the characteristics of the heterostructure mainly depend on the potential difference between the constituent monolayers. From the vast database of available layered materials, many such combinations with a suitable potential difference are expected to have similar properties. Our work points to a vast pool of assembled materials with multifunctionality, an excellent asset for next-generation device applications.

Single-port ferroelectric FET (FeFET) that performs write and read operations on the same electrical gate prevents its wide application in tunable analog electronics and suffers from read disturb, especially to the high-threshold voltage (VTH) state as the retention energy barrier is reduced by the applied read bias. To address both issues, we propose to adopt a read disturb-free dual-port FeFET where write is performed on the gate featuring a ferroelectric layer and the read is done on a separate gate featuring a non-ferroelectric dielectric. Combining the unique structure and the separate read gate, read disturb is eliminated as the applied field is aligned with polarization in the high-VTH state and thus improving its stability, while it is screened by the channel inversion charge and exerts no negative impact on the low-VTH state stability. Comprehensive theoretical and experimental validation have been performed on fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) FeFETs integrated on 22 nm platform, which intrinsically has dual ports with its buried oxide layer acting as the non-ferroelectric dielectric. Novel applications that can exploit the proposed dual-port FeFET are proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time, including FPGA that harnesses its read disturb-free feature and tunable analog electronics (e.g., frequency tunable ring oscillator in this work) leveraging the separated write and read paths., Comment: 32 pages

Ternary content addressable memory (TCAM), widely used in network routers and high-associativity caches, is gaining popularity in machine learning and data-analytic applications. Ferroelectric FETs (FeFETs) are a promising candidate for implementing TCAM owing to their high ON/OFF ratio, non-volatility, and CMOS compatibility. However, conventional single-gate FeFETs (SG-FeFETs) suffer from relatively high write voltage, low endurance, potential read disturbance, and face scaling challenges. Recently, a double-gate FeFET (DG-FeFET) has been proposed and outperforms SG-FeFETs in many aspects. This paper investigates TCAM design challenges specific to DG-FeFETs and introduces a novel 1.5T1Fe TCAM design based on DG-FeFETs. A 2-step search with early termination is employed to reduce the cell area and improve energy efficiency. A shared driver design is proposed to reduce the peripherals area. Detailed analysis and SPICE simulation show that the 1.5T1Fe DG-TCAM leads to superior search speed and energy efficiency. The 1.5T1Fe TCAM design can also be built with SG-FeFETs, which achieve search latency and energy improvement compared with 2FeFET TCAM., Comment: Accepted by Design Automation Conference (DAC) 2023

Two-dimensional materials hosting ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism are crucial for low-power and high-speed information processing technologies. However, intrinsic 2D multiferroics in the monolayer limit are rare. Here, we demonstrate that monolayer CrTe, obtained by cleaving the [002] surface, is dynamically stable multiferroic at temperatures beyond room temperature. We show that it orders ferromagnetically with significant in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and it is a half-metal featuring a large half-metal gap. Remarkably, the broken inversion symmetry and buckled geometry of monolayer CrTe make it a ferroelectric with a large spontaneous out-of-plane polarization and significant magnetoelectric coupling. In addition, we demonstrate polarization or electric field-induced tunability of the anomalous Hall effect, accompanied by substantial bandstructure modulation. Our findings establish monolayer CrTe as a room-temperature multiferroic with great potential for applications in spintronics and ferroelectric devices., Comment: 9 double column pages, and 5 figures; A significantly updated version predicting monolayer CrTe to be an intrinsic multiferroic at room temperature

Phase transition materials are promising for realization of switchable optics. In this work, we show reflectance resonances in the near-infrared and long-wave infrared wavelengths in highly subwavelength partially oxidized Vanadium thin films. These partially oxidized films consist of a multilayer of Vanadium dioxide and Vanadium as shown using Raman spectroscopy and four-probe measurements. As Vanadium dioxide is a phase transition material that shows insulator to metal phase transition at 68 C, the observed infra-red resonances can be switched with temperature into a high-reflectance state. The wavelength of these resonances are passively tunable as a function of the oxidation duration. The obtained reflectance resonance at near-infrared wavelength red shifts from 1.78 um to 2.68 um with increasing oxidation duration while the long-wavelength infrared resonance blue shifts from 12.68 um to 9.96 um. To find the origin of the reflectance resonances, we model the reflectance spectra as a function of the oxidation duration using the transfer matrix method. The presented model captures the dual reflectance resonances reasonably well. These passive wavelength-tunable and switchable resonances with easy to fabricate lithography-free multilayer structure will be useful for multispectral applications such as camouflage, spectral selective microbolometer, and thermal management., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

Domain wall motion in magnetic materiel induces the negative susceptibility leading to a perfect diamagnetism state. The local susceptibility is calculated by the derivative of magnetization ($\vec{M}$) vector w.r.t. magnetic field strength ($\vec{H}$) vector. In the transient region from the upward domain to the downward domain (domain wall width), local $\vec{M}$ and $\vec{H}$ vectors exhibit opposite slopes, which leads to a negative susceptibility value. A negative susceptibility value induces the diamagnetism effect leading to a relative permeability value $<$ 1 $\left(\mu _r < 1\right)$. This diamagnetism sate originates due to the domain wall motion, which is an entirely different mechanism from the electron motion's induced diamagnetism. Furthermore, the strength of the diamagnetism state can be enhanced by tuning the gradient energy of a domain that may correspond to a perfect diamagnetism state $\left(\chi _v \approx -1 \Rightarrow \mu _r \rightarrow 0\right)$. Besides, we believe that there may be a possibility of sustaining such a diamagnetic state (domain wall induced) in a ferromagnetic material that is utterly contradictory to the conventional theory.

In this paper, we present the dynamics and modeling of multi-domains in the ferroelectric FET (FeFET). Due to the periodic texture of domains, the electrostatics of the FeFET exhibit an oscillatory conduction band profile. To capture such oscillations, we solve coupled 2-D Poisson's equation with the net ferroelectric energy density (gradient energy + free energy + depolarization energy) equation. Multi-domain dynamics are captured by minimizing the net ferroelectric energy leading to a thermodynamically stable state. Furthermore, we show that the motion of domain walls originates local bound charge density in the ferroelectric region, which induces the negative capacitance (NC) effect. The strength of domain wall-induced NC is determined by the gradient energy of the ferroelectric material. FeFET exhibits variability in the drain current with domain period due to the inherent NC effect. Additionally, the impact of domain wall transition (soft$\rightleftharpoons$hard) on the device's electrostatic/transport is also analyzed. The model also accurately captures both nucleations of a new domain and the motion of the domain wall. Furthermore, the model is thoroughly validated against experimental results and phase-field simulations.

The Discovery of giant tunnel electroresistance (TER) in Ferroelectric Tunnel Junction (FTJ) paves a futuristic possibility of utilizing the FTJ as a bistable resistive device with an enormously high ON/OFF ratio. In the last 20 years, numerous studies have reported that the formation of multidomain in ferroelectric material is an inevitable process to minimize the total system energy. Recent studies based on phase-field simulations have demonstrated that domain nucleation/motion substantially alters the electrostatics of a ferroelectric material. However, the impact of domain dynamics on quantum transport in FTJ remains elusive. This paper presents a comprehensive study of multidomain dynamics in a ferroelectric tunnel junction. Analysis of this article is twofold; firstly, we study the impact of domain dynamics on electrostatics in an FTJ. Subsequently, the obtained electrostatics is used to study the variations in tunneling current, and TER originated from multidomain dynamics. We show that ON/OFF current density and TER vary locally in the ferroelectric region. Furthermore, the device's electrostatics and quantum transport exhibit an oscillatory nature due to periodic domain texture. ON/OFF current density shows a sine/cosine distribution in ferroelectric, and approximately one-decade local variation in current density is observed. These local fluctuations in current density cause oscillations in the device's ON/OFF ratio. Optimization techniques to achieve a uniform and maximum TER are also discussed. A 2D analytical and explicit model is derived by solving coupled 2D Poisson's equation and Landau-Ginzburg equation. The model incorporates the switching and nucleation of domains by minimizing net ferroelectric energy (depolarization+free+gradient energy density). Furthermore, the impact of the bottom insulator layer on ferroelectric's gradient energy is also studied.

2D Ferroelectric materials are promising for designing low-dimensional memory devices. Here, we explore strain tunable ferroelectric properties of group-IV monochalcogenides MX (M=Ge, Sn; X=S, Se) and their potential application in lateral field tunnel junction devices. We find that these monolayers have in-plane ferroelectricity, with their ferroelectric parameters being on par with other known 2D ferroelectric materials. Amongst SnSe, SnS, GeSe, and GeS, we find that GeS has the best ferroelectric parameters for device applications, which can be improved further by applying uniaxial tensile strain. We use the calculated ferroelectric properties of these materials to study the tunneling electroresistance (TER) of a 4 nm device based on lateral ferroelectric tunnel junction. We find a substantial TER ratio $10^3-10^5$ in the devices based on these materials, which can be further improved up to a factor of 40 on the application of tensile strain.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a phase transition material that undergoes a reversible insulator-metal phase transition at ~ 68 C. Atmospheric pressure thermal oxidation (APTO) of vanadium (V) is a simple VO2 synthesis method in which V thin film is oxidized in open air. For an optimum oxidation duration, VO2 films are obtained with good phase transition properties. We recently reported a modified APTO process using a step temperature profile for oxidation (Thin Solid Films 706, 138003 (2020)). We demonstrated an ultra-low thermal budget synthesis of VO2 thin films with good electrical and optical phase transition properties. For a 130 nm room-temperature RF sputtered V thin film, an optimum oxidation duration of ~ 30 s was obtained. In this work, we study how the starting V film thickness and deposition temperature affects the optimum oxidation duration. V thin films of varying thickness (15-212 nm) and 120 nm thick V films with varying deposition temperature (~27-450 C) are prepared using RF magnetron sputtering. These films are oxidized for different oxidation durations and characterized using Raman and four-probe measurements to find the optimum oxidation duration for each deposition condition. We find that the optimum oxidation duration increases with the increase in V film thickness and V deposition temperature. We model the effect of V film thickness and deposition temperature on the optimal oxidation time using a parabolic law which can be used to obtain the optimal oxidation times for intermediate V thicknesses/deposition temperatures., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures

Vanadium Dioxide (VO2) is a strongly correlated material, which exhibits insulator to metal transition at ~68 C along with large resistivity and infrared optical reflectance modulation. In this work, we use atmospheric pressure thermal oxidation of Vanadium to synthesize VO2 films on glass and ITO coated glass substrates. With the optimized short oxidation durations of 2 min and 4 min, the synthesized VO2 film shows high optical reflectance switching in long-wavelength infrared on glass substrates and mid-wavelength infrared on ITO coated glass substrates, respectively. Peak reflectance switching values of ~76% and ~79% are obtained on the respective substrates, which are among the highest reported values. Using the reflectance data, we extract VO2 complex refractive index in infrared wavelengths, in both the insulating and metallic phases. The extracted refractive index shows good agreement with VO2 synthesized using other methods. This demonstration of high optical reflectance switching in VO2 thin films, grown on low cost glass and ITO coated glass substrates, using a simple low thermal budget process will aid in enhancing VO2 applications in the optical domain., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures

Vanadium dioxide is a complex oxide material, which shows large resistivity and optical reflectance change while transitioning from the insulator to metal phase at ~68 {\deg}C. In this work, we use a modified atmospheric thermal oxidation method to oxidize RF-sputtered Vanadium films. Structural, surface-morphology and phase-transition properties of the oxidized films as a function of oxidation duration are presented. Phase-pure VO2 films are obtained by oxidizing ~130 nm Vanadium films in short oxidation duration of ~30 seconds. Compared to previous reports on VO2 synthesis using atmospheric oxidation of Vanadium films of similar thickness, we obtain a reduction in oxidation duration by more than one order. Synthesized VO2 thin film shows resistance switching of ~3 orders of magnitude. We demonstrate optical reflectance switching in long-wave infrared wavelengths in VO2 films synthesized using atmospheric oxidation of Vanadium. The extracted refractive index of VO2 in the insulating and in the metallic phase is in good agreement with VO2 synthesized using other methods. The considerable reduction in oxidation time of VO2 synthesis while retaining good resistance and optical switching properties will help in integration of VO2 in limited thermal budget processes, enabling further applications of this phase-transition material., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

$\beta-Ga_2O_3$ has drawn significant attention for power electronics and deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors owing to its wide bandgap of ~ 4.4 - 4.9 eV and high electric breakdown strength ~7-8 MV/cm. Growth of $\beta-Ga_2O_3$ epitaxial thin films with high growth rate has been recently reported using low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) technique. In this work, we have investigated the effect of growth temperature on $\beta-Ga_2O_3$ films grown on c-plane sapphire substrates using LPCVD. We performed growths by varying temperatures from 800$^{\deg}$C to 950$^{\deg}$C while keeping all other growth parameters (Ar/O$_2$ gas flow rates, growth pressure, and Gallium precursor to substrate distance) constant. Optical, structural, and surface characterizations are performed to determine the bandgap, phase purity, crystal orientation, and crystalline quality of the grown thin films. Amorphous islands of $Ga_2O_3$ are observed at growth temperature of 800$^{\deg}$C while continuous and crystalline (-201) oriented $\beta-Ga_2O_3$ thin films are achieved for growth temperatures of 850$^{\deg}$C to 950$^{\deg}$C. Crystallinity of the films is found to improve with increase in growth temperature with a minimum rocking full width at half maximum of 1.52$^{\deg}$ in sample grown at 925$^{\deg}$C. For all the samples grown at and above 875$^{\deg}$C, transmittance measurements revealed an optical bandgap of ~4.77-4.80 eV with high growth rate of ~6 ${\mu}$m/hr.

A simulation-based study of variability of remnant polarization $\left (P_r \right)$ in a multi-granular 3-D ultra-thin ferroelectric (FE) capacitor is presented in this paper. The Poisson Voronoi Tessellation Diagram (PVD) is used for the nucleation of grains in the FE region, which corresponds to the physical growth mechanism. The PVD algorithm implemented in MATLAB is coupled with TCAD simulations, to trace the ferroelectric hysteresis loop. It is found that the grains which have linear profile of $P_r$ show larger variability in the FE hysteresis loop, compared to the grains, which follow the Gaussian distribution of $P_r$. Additionally, the impact of dielectric content in the FE grains is analyzed. It is seen that the dielectric grains cause very large amount of variability in the FE hysteresis loop. An increase in the dielectric grains also leads to a loss in the retentivity of the hysteresis loop., Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures

Analytical modeling and dynamics of multidomain in metal-ferroelectric-insulator-semiconductor (MFIS)-FETs are presented in this paper. The formation of multi-domain (MD) leads to oscillations in the conduction band in the channel and periodicity in the local electric field in the ferroelectric region. The impact of 2-D local electric field on the MD switching is captured in the model using the domain wall velocity concept. The optimum values of oxide thickness, ferroelectric thickness and channel length are calculated which corresponds to mono-domain device operation. Deviation from the optimum device parameters causes the transition of mono-domain state to multi-domain state in the ferroelectric. This work can be used as a guideline for designing MFIS-NCFETs, which provides the device parameters that leads to monodomain state in the MFIS-NCFET.

Two dimensional magnetic materials, with tunable electronic properties could lead to new spintronic, magnetic and magneto-optic applications. Here, we explore intrinsic magnetic ordering in two dimensional monolayers of transition metal tri-halides (MX$_3$, M = V, Cr, Mn, Fe and Ni, and X = F, Cl, Br and I), using density functional theory. We find that other than FeX$_3$ family which has an anti-ferromagnetic ground state, rest of the trihalides are ferromagnetic. Amongst these the VX$_3$ and NiX$_3$ family are found to have the highest magnetic transition temperature, beyond the room temperature. In terms of electronic properties, the tri-halides of Mn and Ni are either half metals or Dirac half metals, while the tri-halides of V, Fe and Cr are insulators. Among all the trihalides studied in this paper, we find the existence of very clean spin polarized Dirac half metallic state in MnF$_3$, MnCl$_3$, MnBr$_3$, NiF$_3$ and NiCl$_3$. These spin polarized Dirac half metals will be immensely useful for spin-current generation and other spintronic applications.

We investigate magnetism and band structure engineering in Moir\'e superlattice of blue phosphorus ($\beta$-P) and grey arsenene ($\beta$-As) bilayers, using \textit{ab initio} calculations. The electronic states near the valence and conduction band edges have significant $p_z$ character in both the bilayers. Thus, twisting the layers significantly reduce the interlayer orbital overlap, leading to a decrease in the binding energy (up to $\sim33\%$) and an increase in interlayer distance (up to $\sim10\%$), compared to the most stable AA-stacking. This interlayer decoupling also results in a notable increase (up to $\sim$25-50\%) of the bandgap of twisted bilayers, with the valance band edge becoming relatively flat with van-Hove singularities in the density of states. Thus, hole doping induces a Stoner instability, leading to ferromagnetic ground state, which is more robust in Moir\'e superlattices, than that of AA-stacked $\beta$-P and $\beta$-As.