Thermally activated reversible threshold shifts in YBa2Cu3O7−δ/ yttria-stabilized zirconia/Si capacitors

Abstract

YBa2Cu3O7−δ /yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/silicon superconductor–insulator–semiconductor capacitors are characterized with capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements at different gate-voltage sweep rates and under bias-temperature cycling. It is shown that ionic conduction in YSZ causes both hysteresis and stretch-out in room-temperature C-V curves. A thermally activated process with an activation energy of about 39 meV in YSZ and/or at YSZ/Si interface is attributed to trapping/detrapping mechanisms in the SiOx interfacial layer between YSZ and Si. The negative mobile ions in YSZ can be moved by an applied electric field at room temperature and then ‘‘frozen’’ with decreasing temperature, giving rise to adjustable threshold voltages at low temperatures.