Exciton Spin Manipulation in ZnMnSe-Based Structures

Abstract

Strong effect of structural design on spin functionality is observed in quantum structures based on II–VI semiconductors. Spin switching is realized when using a thin layer of Zn0.95Mn0.05Se diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) as a spin manipulator. This is evident from the polarization of photoluminescence related to a spin detector (an adjacent nonmagnetic quantum well (QW)) measured under the resonant excitation of the spin-up and spin-down states of the DMS, which is identical in value but opposite in sign. The achieved spin switching is suggested to reflect fast carrier diffusion from the DMS due to the absence of an energy barrier between the upper spin state of the DMS layer and the QW. On the other hand, the spin alignment is accomplished in the tunneling structures where the presence of the energy barrier inserted between a spin manipulator (i.e., a ZnMnSe/CdSe DMS superlattice) and a spin detector ensures a slow escape rate from the DMS layer.