Spin-polarized electron transport through a non-magnetic double barrier semiconductor heterostructure

Abstract

The spin-polarized electron resonant tunneling at zero magnetic field through a double barrier hetero structure of non-magnetic III–V semiconductor is theoretically investigated within the envelop function approximation and the Kane model for the bulk. An elegant model is proposed to study the combined effects of Dresselhaus and in-plane Rashba spin–orbit interactions on the spin-dependent tunneling through double barriers of strained hetero structures. Enhanced degree of spin-polarization and easily tunable wider range of energy for a specific polarization are predicted. We estimate that the polarization can reach cent percent with moderate applied electric field. Our investigations show that spin-relaxation can be suppressed by compensating the bulk and structural inversion symmetries using appropriate electric potential. This effect could be engineered in the fabrication of spin-dependent optoelectronic devices.