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2026 , Vol. 2 >Issue 1: 37 - 45

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44275-025-00039-y

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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

  • Fang Ye ,
  • Huaxin Shen ,
  • Sitong Chen ,
  • Tian Luo ,
  • Fanping Meng ,
  • Jie Lin ,
  • Li Chen ,
  • Zixian Jiang ,
  • Xiaohang Li ,
  • Jichun Ye ,
  • Wei Guo
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  • 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
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.
*Wei Guo (guowei@nimte.ac.cn)

Received date: 2025-09-14

  Revised date: 2025-10-16

  Accepted date: 2025-10-27

  Online published: 2026-05-12

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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

Cite this article

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 ­Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin film and integration with GaN HEMTs toward programmable current switching[J]. Moore and More, 2026 , 2(1) : 37 -45 . DOI: 10.1007/s44275-025-00039-y

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