The design criteria of dual-channel high electron mobility transistor (DHEMT) are proposed in this study. 8-Doped In0.52Al0.48As/ In0.53Ga0.47As/InP material systems are concentrated in this article. The DHEMT structures are explored numerically and compared with conventional single-channel high electron mobility transistor (SHEMT) structures. Some criteria of doping concentration and layer structure design are proposed. The simulation results reveal that DHEMT has a larger voltage swing, a lower gate leakage current, a better carrier confinement, a higher density of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) and an excellent transconductance than SHENIT. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.