Electrical properties of ferroelectric YMnO₃ films deposited on n-type Si(111) substrates

YMnO₃ thin films were grown on an n-type Si substrate by nebulized spray pyrolysis in the metal–ferroelectric–semiconductor (MFS) configuration. The capacitance–voltage characteristics of the film in the MFS structure exhibit hysteretic behaviour consistent with the polarization charge switching direction, with the memory window decreasing with increase in temperature. The density of the interface states decreases with increasing annealing temperature. Mapping of the silicon energy band gap with the interface states has been carried out. The leakage current, measured in the accumulation region, is lower in well-crystallized thin films and obeys a space-charge limited conduction mechanism. The calculated activation energy from the dc leakage current characteristics of the Arrhenius plot reveals that the activation energy corresponds to oxygen vacancy motion.