Recent advances in ferroelectric materials, devices, and in-memory computing applications

Abstract

Ferroelectric memories have undergone a transformative evolution from conventional perovskite-based materials to modern fluorite-structured ferroelectrics, driven by the pursuit of scalable, low-power, and CMOS-compatible non-volatile memory solutions. The observation of ferroelectricity in nanoscale HfO2-based films has enabled integration with CMOS-compatible processes, providing advantages such as potential scalability, low power consumption, and non-volatility, while facilitating continued scaling and high-density integration. Leveraging established materials infrastructure in the semiconductor industry, hafnia-based ferroelectrics have been incorporated in various memory architectures, including ferroelectric random-access memory (FeRAM), ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs), ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs), and ferroelectric memcapacitors (FeCAPs). Beyond conventional non-volatile storage, these devices have also emerged as promising building blocks for in-memory computing applications, including neuromorphic systems, hardware security primitives, and associative memory. In this review, we explore the historical development of ferroelectric memories from a materials-device co-design perspective, examine recent advances in device architectures and in-memory computing applications, and discuss the remaining challenges in endurance, retention, variability, and scaling. Finally, we propose future research directions that integrating material innovation, interface engineering, and circuit-level optimization to realize the full potential of ferroelectric memories in next-generation computing platforms.