Abstract
The capacitor is a key element of electronic devices and is characterized by positive capacitance. However, a negative capacitance (NC) behaviour may occur in certain cases and implies a local voltage drop opposed to the overall applied bias. Therefore, a local NC response results in voltage enhancement across the rest of the circuit. Within a suitably designed heterostructure, ferroelectrics display such an NC effect, and various ferroelectric-based microelectronic and nanoelectronic devices have been developed, showing improved performance attributed to NC. However, the exact physical nature of the NC response and direct experimental evidence remain elusive or controversial thus far. In this Review, we discuss the physical mechanisms responsible for ferroelectric NC, tackling static and transient NC responses. We examine ferroelectric responses to voltage and charge, as well as ferroelectric switching, and discuss proof-of-concept experiments and possibilities for device implementation. Finally, we highlight different approaches for the optimization of the intrinsic NC response to maximize voltage amplification.
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Acknowledgements
For useful feedback and illuminating discussions, the authors thank L. Bellaiche, E. Defay, P. Garcia-Fernández, D. Jiménez, S. Salahuddin, J. F. Scott and M. Stengel. The work was funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (grant FNR/C15/MS/10458889 “NEWALLS”, J.Í.), the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (grant EP/M007073/1, P.Z.), the European Commission (grant ENGIMA-H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017, I.L.) and ETH-Zurich (A.C.). Finally, a good part of this Review was completed during TOPO2018, the International Workshop on Topological Structures in Ferroic Materials, sponsored and hosted by the International Institute of Physics (IIP) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) (Natal, Brazil); the authors are grateful to the IIP for the hospitality and excellent work atmosphere.
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Íñiguez, J., Zubko, P., Luk’yanchuk, I. et al. Ferroelectric negative capacitance. Nat Rev Mater 4, 243–256 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-019-0089-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-019-0089-0
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