MEmber Spotlight: Chaitanya Sharma

Research Focus

I am excited to share my first first-authored paper, where we showcase the performance of TiN/Hf₀.₅Zr₀.₅O₂/TiN ferroelectric capacitors (FeCAPs) under mixed neutron and gamma
radiation.

As part of this work, I led the design and implementation of a new in situ electrical
characterization setup at the University of Florida’s nuclear reactor facility. This platform allows us to expose semiconductor devices to controlled radiation fields with variable
shielding and measure their electrical response in real time.

Our results reveal how ferroelectric hysteresis loops and remnant polarization evolve under increasing radiation exposure—providing rare operando insights into device reliability under extreme environments. These findings underscore the potential of HZO-based FeCAPs for space and radiation-hardened electronics, paving the way for resilient next-generation memory technologies.