Wang, J.-F.J.-F.WangChang, Y.-T.Y.-T.ChangLee, J.-Y.J.-Y.LeeLiu, C.W.C.W.LiuMIN-HUNG LEE2026-04-292026-04-292026-0813698001https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105036098131&origin=resultslisthttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/737617Achieving a high ON-state current and a large ON-OFF current ratio simultaneously is a critical challenge for ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs). The performance is fundamentally limited by the trade-off between maximizing tunneling current and maintaining stable polarization, which is dictated by the interfacial layer (IL) material properties and band diagram engineering. In this work, we propose and validate a strategic IL design utilizing an ultrathin, low-permittivity silicon dioxide (SiO2) film deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) in an HZO-based FTJ. Theoretical calculations confirm that a lower permittivity and higher electron affinity of the SiO2 effectively modulate the electric field distribution. The 1 nm SiO2 device exhibits superior performance, achieving a high ON-OFF ratio of 3400 × and a significantly enhanced ON-state current (9 × higher) compared to the 1 nm Al2O3 counterpart at 1.5V. Our findings establish the 1 nm ultrathin ALD-SiO2 as a highly effective solution for concurrently enhancing the ON-state current and ON-OFF ratio, highlighting a pathway toward high-performance, reliable, and scalable FTJs for advanced non-volatile memory applications.falsejournal article10.1016/j.mssp.2026.1106822-s2.0-105036098131