Based on the device operation mechanism and physical model, effects of the improved hetero-material-gate (HMG) approach on deep sub-micron silicon carbide (SiC) metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) are analyzed. By comparing with the conventional MESFET, it is shown that the improved HMG approach induces a multi-stepped distribution of the potential in the channel, leading to an enhanced electric field at the source. Meanwhile, the position of the maximum of the channel potential is changed to the drain side compared with the dual-material-gate (DMG) device, thus the carriers in the channel are accelerated more efficiently and the variation of potential caused by drain voltage is eliminated to a certain degree, resulting in a better restraint in short-channel effect. Also, different technological parameters are designed to study the dependence of the device performance and an optimization plan is obtained, leading to a decreased sub-threshold swing. In addition, asymmetric gate structures are designed for high power application, achieving an improved distribution of the electric field at the gate edge and an enhanced breakdown voltage of the small scale device.