Abstract
Ferroelectric memory technology, with its unique advantages of nonvolatility, high speed and low-power consumption, has emerged as a key pathway to overcome storage and energy efficiency bottlenecks in the post-Moore’s Law era. Its developmental trajectory reflects a profound integration from material physics innovation to device architecture transformation. This review systematically traces the evolution from classical perovskites and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible hafnium-based ferroelectric oxides to emerging two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials, demonstrating their crystal structures, intrinsic properties, compatibility with semiconductor manufacturing and applications in memory technology. Ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) continues to expand in embedded storage with its mature capacitive structure; ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) emerges as a promising vehicle for compute-in-memory and neuromorphic computing through the physical integration of storage and logic; ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) offers a unique path for ultra-high-density analog storage by leveraging polarization-sensitive modulation of quantum tunneling barrier. Currently, the continued advancement of ferroelectric memory technology faces a series of core challenges, including an atomic-scale understanding of metastable phase formation and defect dynamics, the rational design of heterointerfaces, and the achievement of performance uniformity in three-dimensional (3D) integration. Future breakthroughs will depend on a new phase of multi-level collaborative innovation encompassing microscopic mechanisms, material preparation, multidimensional integration and system architecture. This will propel ferroelectric technology from an important storage solution to a key enabling technology for constructing future high-efficiency, intelligent information processing systems.