The material class of hafnium oxide-based ferroelectrics adds an unexpected and huge momentum to the long-known phenomenon of pyroelectricity. In this thesis, a comprehensive study of pyroelectric and electrocaloric properties of this novel ferroelectric material class is conducted. hafnium oxide is a lead-free, non-toxic transition metal oxide, and abundant in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. The compatibility to existing fabrication processes spawns the possibility of on-chip infrared sensing, energy harvesting, and refrigeration solutions, for which this dissertation aims to lay a foundation.
A screening of the material system with respect to several dopants reveals an enhanced pyroelectric response at the morphotropic phase boundary between the polar orthorhombic and the non-polar tetragonal phase. Further, a strong pyroelectric effect is observed when applying an electric field to antiferroelectric-like films, which is attributed to a field-induced transition between the tetragonal and orthorhombic phases. Primary and secondary pyroelectric effects are separated using high-frequency temperature cycles, where the effect of frequency-dependent substrate clamping is exploited. The piezoelectric response is determined by comparing primary and secondary pyroelectric coefficients, which reproduces the expected wake-up behavior in hafnium oxide films.
Further, the potential of hafnium oxide for thermal-electric energy conversion is explored. The electrocaloric temperature change of only 20 nm thick films is observed directly by using a specialized test structure. By comparing the magnitude of the effect to the pyroelectric response, it is concluded that defect charges have an important impact on the electrocaloric effect in hafnium oxide-based ferroelectrics.
Energy harvesting with a conformal hafnium oxide film on a porous, nano-patterned substrate is performed, which enhances the power output. Further, the integration of a pyroelectric energy harvesting device in a microchip for waste heat recovery and more energy-efficient electronic devices is demonstrated. High dielectric breakdown fields of up to 4 MV/cm in combination with a sizable pyroelectric response and a comparably low dielectric permittivity illustrate the prospect of hafnium oxide-based devices for future energy conversion applications
