This article compares the film and device characteristics of sputter-deposited (physical vapor deposited, PVD) hafnium zirconate (HfxZr1-xO2) with that of atomic layer deposited (ALD) gate dielectric. The composition of PVD dielectric films was optimized and closely matched with that of ALD HfxZr1-xO2. The PVD-grown film with a tantalum carbide (TaxCy) metal gate had similar dielectric properties, such as higher dielectric constant, lower gate leakage, and good thermal stability, performance, and reliability compared to that of ALD HfxZr1-xO2. Thus, the PVD HfxZr1-xO2 is also an alternate gate dielectric material for advanced gate stack applications. (C) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.