UC Berkeley

We present a compact model of polycrystalline ferroelectric (FE) capacitors. The polycrystalline thin-film material is modeled as a collection of independent grains or grain groups. Each grain or grain group is characterized by its local field-dependent switching rate, which is characterized by a distribution function such as Gaussian or type-2 generalized beta distribution. This computationally efficient model accurately reproduces the published experimental polarization switching waveforms and the switching current waveforms in response to all reported applied voltage waveforms. The model tracks the polarization history so that it can simulate the transition between major and minor and among minor loops as well as accumulative polarization which cannot be captured by the conventional models. This model is intended for simulating circuits containing FE capacitors using commercial SPICE simulators for arbitrary applied voltage waveforms. It also has the capability of simulating the discrete switching and device variability in small-area FE capacitors having a small number of grains, although there is no available experimental data to check the model accuracy in this regard.