Abstract

Recently, spin effect in narrow gap semiconductor heterostructures has attracted much attention. However, Rashba spin effect is quite different in Ⅳ-Ⅵ asymmetric quantum wells (QWs) with various growth orientations due to their multivalley and anisotropic band structures. In this work, we calculated Rashba splitting in Pb1-ySryTe/PbTe/Pb1-xSrxTe asymmetric QWs with growth orientations [100], [110] and [111]. The results show that Rashba splitting reaches the maximum of 2.2meV when the well width of PbTe QWs with growth orientation [100] is 5.0nm, and two groups of Rashba splitting is obtained in PbTe and QWs with growth orientations [110] and [111], respectively, because the quantum confinement lifts off the fourfold degeneracy of the L-energy valleys. The dependences of Rashba splitting on asymmetry of QWs, well width, temperature and k∥ (the wave vactor in the plane) are also investigated. Large Rashba spin splitting may make Ⅳ-Ⅵ asymmetric QWs as a material candidate for spintronic devices.

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