Abstract
For spintronics applications, generation of significant spin transport is required, which is achieved by applying a semiconductor surface exhibiting metallic spin-split surface-state bands. We show that metallic spin-split surface-state bands are achieved on hydrogenated ZnO (101¯0) surface by using first-principles density-functional theory calculations. We find that these metallic surface-state bands with dominant Zn-s and p orbitals exhibit Rashba spin splitting with a strong anisotropic character. This finding makes spintronics devices using oxide electronics surface materials possible.
Highlights
Recent developments in spintronics rely on new pathways for exploiting carrier spins in semiconductors without magnetic materials or external magnetic fields, primarily by utilizing the effect of spin orbit interactions (SOIs).[1,2,3] This method is promising because the SOI enables the generation and manipulation of electron spin solely through an external electric field
Generation of significant spin transport is required, which is achieved by applying a semiconductor surface exhibiting metallic spinsplit surface-state bands
We find that these metallic surface-state bands with dominant Zn-s and p orbitals exhibit Rashba spin splitting with a strong anisotropic character
Summary
Recent developments in spintronics rely on new pathways for exploiting carrier spins in semiconductors without magnetic materials or external magnetic fields, primarily by utilizing the effect of spin orbit interactions (SOIs).[1,2,3] This method is promising because the SOI enables the generation and manipulation of electron spin solely through an external electric field. The functionality of such systems as spintronics devices is limited by spin-degenerate bulk currents induced by metallic substrates On the other hand, the discovery of the Rashba effect on the surfaces of semiconductors such as Bi/Si(111),[12,13,14] Bi/Ge(111),[15] Ti/Si(111),[16,17] and Pt/Si(111)[18] shows non-metallic spin-split bands that contribute only little to spin transport. The ZnO wurtzite structure is a promising candidate material for spintronics since the high quality of the two-dimensional electron gas system has been experimentally observed,[19] and it exhibits large carrier concentration and high carrier mobility.[20] In a past study, we have found that the Rashba splitting is observed in the bulk and surface systems of ZnO.[21,22] it was reported that a metallic surface-state is observed[23,24] when a ZnO (1010) surface is hydrogenated, indicating that this system can produce significant spin transport. We determine the origin of these spin textures by using a simplified Hamiltonian derived from the group theory and provide further analyses by evaluating the electric polarization around the surface
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