Spin depolarization under low electric fields at low temperatures in undoped InGaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well

Abstract

The spin polarization under low electric fields (≤300 V/cm) at low temperatures has been studied in undoped InGaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well. The spin polarization was created by optical spin orientation using circularly polarized light and the inverse spin-Hall effect was employed to measure the spin polarization current. We observed an obvious spin depolarization especially at lower temperatures (80–120 K). We ascribed the spin depolarization of the photoinduced electrons to the heating effect from the low electric fields (the low field regime 50–300 V/cm). This spin depolarization due to the heating effect is sensitive to temperature and electric field, suggesting a wide range of potential applications and devices.