In this work, dual-k spacer structures are investigated using a variety of materials along the high-k spacer length in detail. It is known that not only the higher permittivity materials of high-k spacer boost the on-current but also lower permittivity materials of low-k spacer effectively reduce the off-current. By compared the results of other various single spacers and dual-k spacers, it is HfO2/Vacuum dual-k spacer that shows relatively higher I-ON, I-ON/I-OFF, better immunity of short channel effects and outstanding device performances. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.