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Negative capacitance in a ferroelectric capacitor

Publication Type

Journal Article

Authors

Khan, A.I, K Chatterjee, B Wang, S Drapcho, L You, C Serrao, S.R Bakaul, Ramamoorthy Ramesh, S Salahuddin

DOI

10.1038/nmat4148

Abstract

The Boltzmann distribution of electrons poses a fundamental barrier to lowering energy dissipation in conventional electronics, often termed as Boltzmann Tyranny. Negative capacitance in ferroelectric materials, which stems from the stored energy of a phase transition, could provide a solution, but a direct measurement of negative capacitance has so far been elusive. Here, we report the observation of negative capacitance in a thin, epitaxial ferroelectric film. When a voltage pulse is applied, the voltage across the ferroelectric capacitor is found to be decreasing with time - in exactly the opposite direction to which voltage for a regular capacitor should change. Analysis of this inductance -like behaviour from a capacitor presents an unprecedented insight into the intrinsic energy profile of the ferroelectric material and could pave the way for completely new applications. © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Journal

Nature Materials

Volume

Year of Publication

2015

ISSN

14761122

Notes

cited By 302

Research Areas

Ramesh Lab