Ferroelectric behavior of E-beam evaporated ­Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin film and integration with GaN HEMTs toward programmable current switching

doi:10.1007/s44275-025-00039-y

Moore and More ›› 2026, Vol. 2 ›› Issue (1): 37-45.DOI: 10.1007/s44275-025-00039-y

• ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Previous Articles Next Articles

Ferroelectric behavior of E-beam evaporated Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ thin film and integration with GaN HEMTs toward programmable current switching

Fang Ye¹^,², Huaxin Shen¹, Sitong Chen¹, Tian Luo¹^,², Fanping Meng¹, Jie Lin¹, Li Chen¹^,³, Zixian Jiang⁴, Xiaohang Li⁴, Jichun Ye¹^,³, Wei Guo¹^,³^,^*()

¹ Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, China
² School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University , Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, China
³ Yongjiang Laboratory , Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang, China
⁴ Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory , Electrical and Computer Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Received:2025-09-14 Revised:2025-10-16 Accepted:2025-10-27 Published:2026-03-20 Online:2026-05-12
Contact: *Wei Guo (guowei@nimte.ac.cn)
About author:Fang Ye received her bachelor’s degree from Lanzhou University of Technology in June 2021. She is currently a graduate student in the joint program between Ningbo University and the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, supervised by Professor Wei Guo. Her research focuses on the integration of ferroelectric materials and GaN HEMT devices.
Huaxin Shen received her bachelor’s degree from Sichuan University in June 2023. She is currently a graduate student in a joint program between the University of Science and Technology of China and the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, under the supervision of Professor Wei Guo. Her research focuses on GaN HEMT device designs.
Sitong Chen received her bachelor’s degree from Hainan University in June 2021. She is currently a master’s student in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University under the supervision of Professor Wei Guo. Her research focuses on GaN HEMT thin film growth.
Tian Luo received his M.S. degree in 2024 from a joint program between Ningbo University and the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), under the supervision of Prof. Wei Guo and Prof. Wei Xu. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, under the guidance of Professor Yang Liu. His research focuses on GaN power devices.
Fanping Meng received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE). He is currently a senior engineer at NIMTE. His current research interests include thin film growth of nitrides, oxides, and high-entropy alloys, as well as the high-temperature oxidation of alloys.
Jie Lin received his B.S. degree in physics from Northeast Normal University in 2013 and his Ph.D. degree in Materials Physics and Chemistry from Beihang University with Prof. Lin Guo in 2018. He is currently a Professor at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE). His research focuses on designing and preparing highperformance semiconductor SERS materials.
Li Chen is currently an Associate Professor at Yongjiang Laboratory and holds a Ph.D. in Microelectronics and Solid State Electronics from Xiamen University in China. Her research focuses on semiconductor physics, IIInitride epitaxy, and optical and electronic devices.
Zixian Jiang received the B.S. degree in microelectronics science and engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China, in 2023. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in electronic and computer engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. His research interests include III-nitride widebandgap semiconductor growth, GaN power electronics, and CMOS integration.
Xiaohang Li received the B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, and Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA, and the Ph.D. degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology, GA, USA, in 2015. He is currently an Associate Professor with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Jichun Ye is currently a professor at Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), director of laboratory of optoelectronic materials and devices. He received his PhD from University of California, Davis in 2005. He has published more than 200 articles in top-tier publications including Nature Energy, Nature Communications. His research interests include solar cell and wide-bandgap semiconductors.
Wei Guo is currently a professor at Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), deputy director of laboratory of optoelectronic materials and devices. He received his PhD from North Carolina State University in 2014. His research interests include III-nitride wide-bandgap semiconductor growth, GaN power electronics and integration.

Abstract

Abstract:

This letter demonstrates an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) incorporating a Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂ (HZO)/Al ₂O ₃ ferroelectric gate dielectric fabricated via electron-beam evaporation (E-beam) technique. Through precise control of HZO growth processes and post-annealing treatments, high-quality ferroelectric thin films were obtained, acting as the gate dielectric, enabling an ultra-high current on/off ratio of 10 ⁸, a low subthreshold slope (SS) of 64.4 mV/dec, and a wide tuning range of the threshold voltage (V _TH). Our work indicates that ferroelectric polarization significantly influences electron transport behavior at the AlGaN/GaN interface, highlighting the potential of E-beam evaporated HZO thin film used in the application of next-generation power electronic systems.

Key words: GaN, High · Electron · Mobility · Transistor, Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂, Ferroelectric switching

Fang Ye, Huaxin Shen, Sitong Chen, Tian Luo, Fanping Meng, Jie Lin, Li Chen, Zixian Jiang, Xiaohang Li, Jichun Ye, Wei Guo. Ferroelectric behavior of E-beam evaporated Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ thin film and integration with GaN HEMTs toward programmable current switching[J]. Moore and More, 2026, 2(1): 37-45.

References 33

[1]	Chen KJ , Häberlen O , Lidow A , Tsai C , Ueda T , Uemoto Y et al (2017) GaN-on-Si power technology: devices and applications. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 64(3): 779-795. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2017.2657579
[2]	Luo T , Chen S , Li J , Ye F , Yu Z , Xu W et al (2025) Al ₂O ₃/in-situ GaON gate dielectrics incorporated GaN MIS-HEMTs with stable V _TH and significantly reduced interface state density . Appl Phys Lett 126(6): 063503. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0232364
[3]	Liu C , Zhu Z , Jiao P , Qiao G , Hao L , Guo H et al (2024) High-performance AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂-based ferroelectric gate by pulsed laser deposition . Appl Phys Lett 125(24): 243503. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0241351
[4]	Xing W , Liu Z , Qiu H , Ranjan K , Gao Y , Ng GI et al (2018) InAlN/GaN HEMTs on Si with high f _T of 250 GHz . IEEE Electron Device Lett 39(1): 75-78. https://doi.org/10.1109/led.2017.2773054
[5]	Yurchuk E , Müller J , Müller S , Paul J , Pešić M , van Bentum R et al (2016) Charge-trapping phenomena in HfO ₂-based FeFET-type nonvolatile memories . IEEE Trans Electron Devices 63(9): 3501-3507. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2016.2588439
[6]	Islam MM , Rivero MH , Rose G , Aziz A (2022) Low-power dynamic circuit design with steep-switching hybrid phase transition FETs (hyper-FETs). IEEE Trans Electron Devices 70(2): 819-825. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2022.3231236
[7]	Müller J , Böscke T , Müller S , Yurchuk E , Polakowski P , Paul J et al (2013) Ferroelectric hafnium oxide: a CMOS-compatible and highly scalable approach to future ferroelectric memories. In: 2013 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting. IEEE, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 10.8.1–10.8.4. https://doi.org/10.1109/IEDM.2013.6724605
[8]	Jiang Y , Du F , Wen K , Zhang Y , Li M , Tang C et al (2024) Threshold voltage modulation on a CTL-based monolithically integrated E/D-mode GaN inverters platform with improved voltage transfer performance. Appl Phys Lett 125(3): 032102. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0220775
[9]	Wu C , Ye H , Grisafe B , Datta S , Fay P (2020) Ferroelectric polarization switching behavior of Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂ gate dielectrics on gallium nitride high-electron-mobility-transistor heterostructures . Phys Status Solidi A 217(7): 1900717. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201900717
[10]	Tang X , Lu X , Cong Z , Shi Z , Wang D , Li J et al (2022) Ferroelectric domain modulated AlGaN/GaN field effect transistor. Appl Phys Lett 120(3): 033503. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0076925
[11]	Chandrasekar H , Razzak T , Wang C , Reyes Z , Majumdar K , Rajan S (2020) Demonstration of wide bandgap AlGaN/GaN negative-capacitance high-electron-mobility transistors (NC-HEMTs) using barium titanate ferroelectric gates. Adv Electron Mater 6(8): 2000074. https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202000074
[12]	Song W , Li Y , Zhang K , Zou X , Wang J , Kong Y et al (2019) Steep subthreshold swing in GaN negative capacitance field-effect transistors. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 66(10): 4148-4150. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2019.2934181
[13]	Zhao Z , Dai Y , Meng F , Chen L , Liu K , Luo T et al (2023) The incorporation of AlScN ferroelectric gate dielectric in AlGaN/GaN-HEMT with polarization-modulated threshold voltage. Appl Phys Express 16(3): 031002. https://doi.org/10.35848/1882-0786/acbe26
[14]	Si M , Lyu X , Ye PD (2019) Ferroelectric polarization switching of hafnium zirconium oxide in a ferroelectric/dielectric stack. ACS Appl Electron Mater 1(5): 745-751. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.9b00092
[15]	Wu C , Ye H , Shaju N , Smith J , Grisafe B , Datta S et al (2020) Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂-based ferroelectric gate HEMTs with large threshold voltage tuning range . IEEE Electron Device Lett 41(3): 337-340. https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2020.2965330
[16]	Li G , Li X , Liu X , Gao A , Zhao J , Yan F et al (2022) Heteroepitaxy of Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂ ferroelectric gate layer on AlGaN/GaN towards normally-off HEMTs . Appl Surf Sci 597: 153709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.153709
[17]	Ye F , Chen S , Luo T , Gao G , Li J , Meng F et al (2025) Ferroelectric switching behavior in GaN HEMTs with CMOS-compatible Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂/Al ₂O ₃ dielectric layer . Appl Surf Sci 705: 163556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.163556
[18]	Xin T , Zheng Y , Cheng Y , Du K , Wang Y , Gao Z et al (2022) Atomic visualization of the emergence of orthorhombic phase in Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂ ferroelectric film with in-situ rapid thermal annealing . In: 2022 IEEE Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits (VLSI Technology and Circuits). IEEE, pp 343-344. https://doi.org/10.1109/VLSITechnologyandCir46769.2022.9830185
[19]	Park MH , Chung CC , Schenk T , Richter C , Opsomer K , Detavernier C et al (2018) Effect of annealing ferroelectric HfO ₂ thin films: in situ, high temperature X-ray diffraction . Adv Electron Mater 4(7): 1800091. https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.201800091
[20]	Wu CH , Han PC , Liu SC , Hsieh TE , Lumbantoruan FJ , Ho YH (2018) High-performance normally-OFF GaN MIS-HEMTs using hybrid ferroelectric charge trap gate stack (FEG-HEMT) for power device applications. IEEE Electron Device Lett 39(7): 991-994. https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2018.2825645
[21]	Chen L , Ma X , Zhu J , Hou B , Song F , Zhu Q et al (2018) Polarization engineering in PZT/AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 65(8): 3149-3155. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2018.2844335
[22]	Chang KC , Feng X , Liu H , Liu K , Lin X , Li L (2023) Computational-fitting method for mobility extraction in GaN HEMT. RSC Adv 13(46): 32694-32698. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RA06630D
[23]	Xu G , Cai L , Wang Z , Wu Q , Lu C , Zhao Z et al (2019) Field-dependent mobility enhancement and contact resistance in a-IGZO TFTs. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 66(12): 5166-5169. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2019.2947508
[24]	Nifa I , Leroux C , Torres A , Charles M , Reimbold G , Ghbauddo G et al (2019) Characterization and modeling of 2DEG mobility in AlGaN/AlN/GaN MIS-HEMT. Microelectron Eng 215: 110976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2019.05.003
[25]	Meng Q , Lin Q , Wang Z , Wang Y , Jing W , Xian D et al (2023) Numerical investigation of GaN HEMT terahertz detection model considering multiple scattering mechanisms. Nanomaterials 13(4): 632. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13040632
[26]	Wang K , Wan J , Chen K , Tu Z , Wu H , Liu C (2023) Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂-based ferroelectric gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with steep subthreshold swings . IEEE Trans Electron Devices 70(11): 6082-6085. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2023.3311412
[27]	Si M , Yang L , Zhou H , Ye PD (2017) β-Ga ₂O ₃ nanomembrane negative capacitance field-effect transistors with steep subthreshold slope for wide band gap logic applications . ACS Omega 2(10): 7136-7140. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.7b01289
[28]	Cui X , Cheng W , Hua Q , Liang R , Hu W , Wang Z (2020) Enhanced performances of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with dielectric engineering of HfZrO x . Nano Energy 68: 104361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.104361
[29]	Noh J , Bae H , Li J , Luo Y , Qu Y , Park TJ et al (2021) First experimental demonstration of robust HZO/β-Ga ₂O ₃ ferroelectric field-effect transistors as synaptic devices for artificial intelligence applications in a high-temperature environment . IEEE Trans Electron Devices 68(5): 2515-2521. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2021.3064783
[30]	Choudhary S , Schwarz D , Funk HS , Weißhaupt D , Khosla R , Sharma SK et al (2022) A steep slope MBE-grown thin p-Ge channel FETs on bulk Ge-on-Si using HZO internal voltage amplification. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 69(5): 2725-2731. https://doi.org/10.1109/ted.2022.3161857
[31]	Tsai M-J , Chen P-J , Ruan D-B , Hou F-J , Peng P-Y , Chen L-G et al (2019) Investigation of 5-nm-thick Hf _0.5Zr _0.5O ₂ ferroelectric FinFET dimensions for sub-60-mV/decade subthreshold slope . IEEE J Electron Devices Soc 7: 1033-1037. https://doi.org/10.1109/jeds.2019.2942381
[32]	Wu C-H , Han P-C , Liu S-C , Hsieh T-E , Lumbantoruan FJ , Ho Y-H et al (2018) High-performance normally-OFF GaN MIS-HEMTs using hybrid ferroelectric charge trap gate stack (FEG-HEMT) for power device applications. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 39(7): 991-994. https://doi.org/10.1109/led.2018.2825645
[33]	Zhu K , Wei J , Wan J . (2019) Negative capacitance GaN HEMT with improved subthreshold swing and transconductance. In: 2019 SOI-3D-Subthreshold Microelectronics Technology Unified Conference (S3S). IEEE, San Jose, CA, USA, pp. 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1109/S3S46989.2019.9320724

Ferroelectric behavior of E-beam evaporated Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ thin film and integration with GaN HEMTs toward programmable current switching

RichHTML

PDF

Knowledge

Abstract

Cite this article

share this article

References 33

Related Articles 6

Recommended Articles

Metrics

[1]	Hongsong Liu, Cong Peng, Zhihao Huang, Cong Zhang, Guangxin Sun, Shuangqing Fan, Cong Wang, Beibei Fu. Van der Waals heterojunctions of 2D organic–inorganic materials for high‑performance photodetectors [J]. Moore and More, 2026, 2(1): 57-83.
[2]	Kangkai Fan, Jiachang Guo, Zihao Huang, Yu Xu, Zengli Huang, Wei Xu, Qi Wang, Qiubao Lin, Xiaohua Li, Hezhou Liu, Xinke Liu. GaN-on-diamond technology for next-generation power devices [J]. Moore and More, 2025, 1(4): 370-394.
[3]	Linqing Qiu, Qiang Lv, Xuedong Wang. Low-dimensional organic semiconductor crystals for advanced photonics [J]. Moore and More, 2025, 1(4): 339-355.
[4]	Linfei Gao, Xiaohua Li, Wei He, Xinbo Xiong, Huaibao Yan, Hsien-Chin Chiu, Zhanwu Yang, Lixuan Chen, Qiubao Lin, Kaifeng Wang, Hezhou Liu, Xinke Liu. Stability of p-GaN gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under static and dynamic drain stress [J]. Moore and More, 2025, 1(3): 290-299.
[5]	Yuhui Song, Xiaomin Zhang, Lijian Ning, Qian Zhou, Jinkun Feng, Yanli Wang, Qiuyu Gong, Yinjuan Huang. Smart organic crystalline materials based on photo-induced topochemistry [J]. Moore and More, 2025, 1(3): 241-266.
[6]	Xiaojuan Ni, Jean-Luc Brédas. Band engineering in two-dimensional porphyrin- and phthalocyanine-based covalent organic frameworks: insight from molecular design [J]. Moore and More, 2025, 1(1): 26-39.