Generation of spin polarization in graphene by the spin–orbit interaction and a magnetic barrier

Abstract

We study the generation of spin polarization in monolayer graphene in the presence of Rashba spin–orbit interaction (SOI) and a ferromagnetic (FM) stripe. It is shown that Rashba SOI alone can generate an in-plane (x–y plane) spin polarization, but a FM stripe with magnetization parallel to the current direction cannot generate any spin polarization. A combination of the Rashba SOI and the magnetic field of a FM stripe can increase the spin polarization to a value close to 100%, and the polarization components can be found along the x, y and z directions. The attainment of highly spin polarized current using the Rashba SOI and FM effect could have useful applications in the development of graphene spintronics.