Strong Spin-orbit Interaction Research Articles

Material Transfer and Contact Optimization in MoS2 Nanotube Devices

While the promise of clean and defect‐free nanotubes as quantum electronic devices is obvious, ranging from strong spin–orbit interaction to intrinsic superconductivity, device fabrication still poses considerable challenges. Deterministic transfer of transition metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials and transparent contacts to the nanomaterials are nowadays highly active topics of research, both with fundamental research and applications in mind. Contamination from transport agents as well as surface adsorbates and surface charges play a critical role for device performance. Many techniques have been proposed to address these topics for transition metal dichalcogenides in general. Herein, their usage for the transfer‐based fabrication of nanotube devices is analyzed. Further, different contact materials are compared in order to avoid the formation of a Schottky barrier.

A Backgate for Enhanced Tunability of Holes in Planar Germanium.

Planar semiconductor heterostructures offer versatile device designs and are promising candidates for scalable quantum computing. Notably, heterostructures based on strained germanium have been extensively studied in recent years, with an emphasis on their strong and tunable spin-orbit interaction, low effective mass, and high hole mobility. However, planar systems are still limited by the fact that the shape of the confinement potential is directly related to the density. In this work, we present the successful implementation of a backgate for a planar germanium heterostructure. The backgate, in combination with a topgate, enables independent control over the density and the electric field, which determines important state properties such as the effective mass, the g-factor, and the quantum lifetime. This unparalleled degree of control paves the way toward engineering qubit properties and facilitates the targeted tuning of bilayer quantum wells, which promise denser qubit packing.

Quasi-Dirac points in electron-energy spectra of crystals

Specific properties, such as surface Fermi arcs, features of quantum oscillations and of various responses to a magnetic field, distinguish Dirac semimetals from ordinary materials. These properties are determined by Dirac points at which a contact of two electron-energy bands occurs and in the vicinity of which these bands disperse linearly in the quasimomentum. This work shows that almost the same properties are inherent in a wider class of materials in which the Dirac spectrum can have a noticeable gap comparable with the Fermi energy. In other words, the degeneracy of the bands at the point and their linear dispersion are not necessary for the existence of these properties. The only sufficient condition is the following: In the vicinity of such a quasi-Dirac point, the two close bands are well described by a two-band model that takes into account the strong spin-orbit interaction. To illustrate the results, the spectrum of ZrTe5 is considered. This spectrum contains a special quasi-Dirac point, similar to that in bismuth.

Valley selections and control of topological phases by bicircular laser field in transition-metal dichalcogenides

The energy spectra of transition metal dichalcogenides are influenced by three orbitals, forming a three-band model with strong spin-orbit interaction. Analyzing these bands through a two-band projection suffices for exploring electronic and optical properties. We examine topological phases and the spin-valley Hall effect, derived from spin-valley Chern numbers. Spin-orbit interaction breaks inversion symmetry but preserves time-reversal symmetry, resulting in non-zero spin-valley-dependent Hall conductivities, crucial for both spin and valley Hall effects. Interestingly, direct optical manipulation of the valley degree of freedom can be achieved using a trefoil field generated by a bicircular field. Selectable valley conductivity occurs when the field orientation matches the lattice symmetry, leading to a quantum anomalous Hall effect without magnetization. This approach suggests the potential for valley selection via field orientation, with applications in valleytronics and spintronics devices, enabling qubit encoding.

Josephson Diode Effect in Parallel-Coupled Double-Quantum Dots Connected to Unalike Majorana Nanowires.

We study theoretically the Josephson diode effect (JDE) when realized in a system composed of parallel-coupled double-quantum dots (DQDs) sandwiched between two semiconductor nanowires deposited on an s-wave superconductor surface. Due to the combined effects of proximity-induced superconductivity, strong Rashba spin-orbit interaction, and the Zeeman splitting inside the nanowires, a pair of Majorana bound states (MBSs) may possibly emerge at opposite ends of each nanowire. Different phase factors arising from the superconductor substrate can be generated in the coupling amplitudes between the DQDs and MBSs prepared at the left and right nanowires, and this will result in the Josephson current. We find that the critical Josephson currents in positive and negative directions are different from each other in amplitude within an oscillation period with respect to the magnetic flux penetrating through the system, a phenomenon known as the JDE. It arises from the quantum interference effect in this double-path device, and it can hardly occur in the system of one QD coupled to MBSs. Our results also show that the diode efficiency can reach up to 50%, but this depends on the overlap amplitude between the MBSs, as well as the energy levels of the DQDs adjustable by gate voltages. The present model is realizable within current nanofabrication technologies and may find practical use in the interdisciplinary field of Majorana and Josephson physics.

Coherent spin qubit shuttling through germanium quantum dots

Quantum links can interconnect qubit registers and are therefore essential in networked quantum computing. Semiconductor quantum dot qubits have seen significant progress in the high-fidelity operation of small qubit registers but establishing a compelling quantum link remains a challenge. Here, we show that a spin qubit can be shuttled through multiple quantum dots while preserving its quantum information. Remarkably, we achieve these results using hole spin qubits in germanium, despite the presence of strong spin-orbit interaction. In a minimal quantum dot chain, we accomplish the shuttling of spin basis states over effective lengths beyond 300 microns and demonstrate the coherent shuttling of superposition states over effective lengths corresponding to 9 microns, which we can extend to 49 microns by incorporating dynamical decoupling. These findings indicate qubit shuttling as an effective approach to route qubits within registers and to establish quantum links between registers.

Direct visualization of spin-dependent orbital geometry on the Na2IrO3 surface with ultra-high resolution

The honeycomb iridate Na2IrO3, as a candidate for the Kitaev model, has drawn increasing attention in recent years. It is a rare example of a strongly correlated, topologically nontrivial band structure that may have protected quantum spin Hall states. The nature of its intriguing insulating phase and magnetic order is still under debate. In the present work, we combine low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to show that Na2IrO3 exhibits a band gap of 420 meV at 77 K, indicating a novel relativistic Mott insulator rather than Slater-like states. In addition, it is demonstrated that the Ir-O-Ir bonds and the subtle local density of states variation of Ir atoms induced by spin correlations can be imaged in real space in ultra-high resolution utilizing a spin-polarized oxygen-functionalized scanning tunneling microscopy tip. The direct observation of the zigzag Ir-O-Ir bonds at 77 K strongly dictates the zigzag magnetic ordering below T N ≈ 15 K because of the strong spin-orbit interactions that lock the lattice and magnetic moments.

Perfect Zeeman Anisotropy in Rotationally Symmetric Quantum Dots with Strong Spin-Orbit Interaction.

In nanoscale structures with rotational symmetry, such as quantum rings, the orbital motion of electrons combined with a spin-orbit interaction can produce a very strong and anisotropic Zeeman effect. Since symmetry is sensitive to electric fields, ring-like geometries provide an opportunity to manipulate magnetic properties over an exceptionally wide range. In this work, we show that it is possible to form rotationally symmetric confinement potentials inside a semiconductor quantum dot, resulting in electron orbitals with large orbital angular momentum and strong spin-orbit interactions. We find complete suppression of Zeeman spin splitting for magnetic fields applied in the quantum dot plane, similar to the expected behavior of an ideal quantum ring. Spin splitting reappears as orbital interactions are activated with symmetry-breaking electric fields. For two valence electrons, representing a common basis for spin-qubits, we find that modulating the rotational symmetry may offer new prospects for realizing tunable protection and interaction of spin-orbital states.

Link between supercurrent diode and anomalous Josephson effect revealed by gate-controlled interferometry

In Josephson diodes the asymmetry between positive and negative current branch of the current-phase relation leads to a polarity-dependent critical current and Josephson inductance. The supercurrent nonreciprocity can be described as a consequence of the anomalous Josephson effect —a φ0-shift of the current-phase relation— in multichannel ballistic junctions with strong spin-orbit interaction. In this work, we simultaneously investigate φ0-shift and supercurrent diode efficiency on the same Josephson junction by means of a superconducting quantum interferometer. By electrostatic gating, we reveal a direct link between φ0-shift and diode effect. Our findings show that spin-orbit interaction in combination with a Zeeman field plays an important role in determining the magnetochiral anisotropy and the supercurrent diode effect.

Magnetotransport properties of BiSe whiskers

Doped Bi2Se3 superconductors, such as CuxBi2Se3, SrxBi2Se3, NbxBi2Se3 are shown to be nematic superconductors in addition to the observed topological superconductivity. Recently it was found superconductivity in PdxBi2Se3 whiskers. The superconductivity has a residual character and probably exists on the whisker surface. The present paper deals with checking a possible nematicity existing in PdxBi2Se3 whiskers. The suppression of superconductivity was measured in the magnetic fields with induction up to 1.5 T. It was found the dependency of upper critical fields on the angle of magnetic field application. The dependency is explained in the framework of Ginzburg–Landau model and described by rather small anisotropy parameter 1.2. Besides blurring of temperature Curie near 5.3 K was observed of about 0.5 K that additionally confirmed the nematicity in PdxBi2Se3 whiskers. The rather high Curie temperature as well as nematicity existing is probably connected with strong spin–orbit interaction (SOI) of the charge carriers in the whiskers which stabilizing the superconductive state. When the temperature exceeds T c weak antilocalization of charge carriers is observed in the whisker magnetoresistance.

Anisotropic exchange interaction of two hole-spin qubits

Semiconductor spin qubits offer the potential to employ industrial transistor technology to produce large-scale quantum computers. Silicon hole spin qubits benefit from fast all-electrical qubit control and sweet spots to counteract charge and nuclear spin noise. However, the demonstration of a two-qubit interaction has remained an open challenge. One missing factor is an understanding of the exchange coupling in the presence of a strong spin–orbit interaction. Here we study two hole-spin qubits in a silicon fin field-effect transistor, the workhorse device of today’s semiconductor industry. We demonstrate electrical tunability of the exchange splitting from above 500 MHz to close-to-off and perform a conditional spin-flip in 24 ns. The exchange is anisotropic because of the spin–orbit interaction. Upon tunnelling from one quantum dot to the other, the spin is rotated by almost 180 degrees. The exchange Hamiltonian no longer has the Heisenberg form and can be engineered such that it enables two-qubit controlled rotation gates without a trade-off between speed and fidelity. This ideal behaviour applies over a wide range of magnetic field orientations, rendering the concept robust with respect to variations from qubit to qubit, indicating that it is a suitable approach for realizing a large-scale quantum computer.

Field-Free Spin-Orbit Torque Magnetization Switching in a Perpendicularly Magnetized Semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As Single Layer.

Current-induced spin-orbit torque (SOT) in a perpendicularly magnetized single layer has a strong potential to switch the magnetization using an extremely low current density, which is generally 2-3 orders of magnitude smaller than that required for conventional metal bilayer systems. However, an in-plane external magnetic field has to be applied to break the symmetry and achieve deterministic switching. To further enhance the high-density integration and accelerate the practical application of highly efficient SOT magnetic random-access memory (SOT-MRAM) devices, field-free SOT magnetization switching in a ferromagnetic single layer is strongly needed. In a spin-orbit ferromagnet (a ferromagnet with strong spin-orbit interaction) with crystal inversion asymmetry and a multi-domain structure, the internal Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya effective fields are considered to induce field-free switching. Here, combined with strong spin-orbit coupling and a tilted anisotropy axis induced by a nonuniform Mn distribution and a possible magnetocrystalline anisotropy resulting from a slight substrate tilting, we successfully achieve magnetization switching in a spin-orbit ferromagnet (Ga,Mn)As single layer by utilizing SOT without applying any external magnetic field. Our findings help to deeply elucidate the SOT switching mechanism and can advance the development of a highly efficient MRAM with better scalability.

Spin Unlocked Vortex Beam Generation on Nonlinear Chiroptical Metasurfaces.

Optical vortices with spin and orbital angular momentum (SAM and OAM) states offer multiple degrees of freedom for manipulating optical fields and thus enable great potentials in optical information processing. Recently, the optical metasurface has become an important platform for vortex beam generation and steering. However, the strong spin-orbit interaction on such metasurfaces usually leads to spin locked OAM generation, which limits the complete control of the angular momentum state of light. Here, we propose to solve this constraint using geometric phase controlled nonlinear chiroptical metasurfaces. The metasurface consists of two types of plasmonic meta-atoms which have opposite handedness and exhibit a strong spin-dependent circular dichroism effect. By encoding specific phase singularities and phase gradients to different channels, we experimentally demonstrate the spin unlocked second harmonic beam steering. The proposed nonlinear chiroptical metasurfaces may have important applications in developing multifunctional nonlinear optical devices.

Strong coupling between a microwave photon and a singlet-triplet qubit

Combining superconducting resonators and quantum dots has triggered tremendous progress in quantum information, however, attempts at coupling a resonator to even charge parity spin qubits have resulted only in weak spin-photon coupling. Here, we integrate a zincblende InAs nanowire double quantum dot with strong spin-orbit interaction in a magnetic-field resilient, high-quality resonator. The quantum confinement in the nanowire is achieved using deterministically grown wurtzite tunnel barriers. Our experiments on even charge parity states and at large magnetic fields, allow us to identify the relevant spin states and to measure the spin decoherence rates and spin-photon coupling strengths. We find an anti-crossing between the resonator mode in the single photon limit and a singlet-triplet qubit with a spin-photon coupling strength of g/2π = 139 ± 4 MHz. This coherent coupling exceeds the resonator decay rate κ/2π = 19.8 ± 0.2 MHz and the qubit dephasing rate γ/2π = 116 ± 7 MHz, putting our system in the strong coupling regime.

Valley-Coherent Quantum Anomalous Hall State in AB-Stacked MoTe2/WSe2 Bilayers

Moiré materials provide fertile ground for the correlated and topological quantum phenomena. Among them, the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect, in which the Hall resistance is quantized even under zero magnetic field, is a direct manifestation of the intrinsic topological properties of a material and an appealing attribute for low-power electronics applications. The QAH effect has been observed in both graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) moiré materials. It is thought to arise from the interaction-driven valley polarization of the narrow moiré bands. Here, we show that the newly discovered QAH state in AB-stacked MoTe2/WSe2 moiré bilayers is not valley polarized but valley coherent. The layer- and helicity-resolved optical spectroscopy measurement reveals that the QAH ground state possesses spontaneous spin (valley) polarization aligned (antialigned) in two TMD layers. In addition, saturation of the out-of-plane spin polarization in both layers occurs only under high magnetic fields, supporting a canted spin texture. Our results call for a new mechanism for the QAH effect and highlight the potential of TMD moiré materials with strong electronic correlations and spin-orbit interactions for exotic topological states. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Beating-free quantum oscillations in two-dimensional electron gases with strong spin-orbit and Zeeman interactions

Beating-free quantum oscillations in two-dimensional electron gases with strong spin-orbit and Zeeman interactions

Спинтроника немагнитных хиральных сред на примере эффекта Зеебека

Spin transport in chiral materials is considered as the main direction for the spintronics development. Experimental work on the study of the spin Seebeck effect shows that in chiral materials it is possible to achieve effective generation of spin-polarized current at distances up to several millimeters. In the presented work, we develop a theoretical approach to describe the spin Seebeck effect based on the spin Hamiltonian for conduction electrons in a chiral medium. Taking into account this Hamiltonian, the equation of electron spin dynamics averaged over the polycrystalline sample is obtained. In the approximation of ideal Fermi-gas and local-quasi-equilibrium distribution, the spin density operator of conduction electrons is constructed. It is shown that averaging over randomly oriented crystallites does not destroy spin ordering at strong spin-orbit interaction, and the temperature gradient generates spin polarization directed predominantly along the temperature gradient. Spin polarization by the described in the paper mechanism does not require external magnetic fields and remanent magnetization and therefore does not interfere with the operation of micro- and nano-sized structures of spintronics. Since the spin Seebeck effect is reciprocal with the spin Peltier effect, the theoretical approach presented in this work can form the basis of new methods for controlling heat flow in spintronics systems.

Генерация и детектирование спинового тока в гетероструктурах иридат/манганит

Kotel'nikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics of Russian Academy of Sciences The results of experimental studies on spin current at the interface of iridate/manganite heterostructure SrIrO3/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 consisted of oxide epitaxial films with nanometer thickness are presented. A pure spin current was induced by microwave irradiation in GHz frequency band under conditions of ferromagnetic resonance. The spin current was detected due to inverse spin-Hall effect measuring the spectral characteristics of charge current arising on electrically conductive SrIrO3 film with strong spin-orbit interaction. The spin-Hall angle, which characterizes the efficiency of spin current conversion to the charge current, was determined by measurements of the angular dependences of spin magnetoresistance of the iridate/manganite interface.

Robust photogalvanic effect, full spin polarization and pure spin current in the BiC photodetector by vacancy and substitution-doping

The photogalvanic effects (PGEs) in low-dimensional devices have attracted great interests recently. Herein, based on non-equilibrium Green’s function combined with density functional theory, we investigated spin-dependent PGE phenomena in the BiC photodetector with the linearly polarized light and zero bias. Due to the presence of strong spin–orbit interaction (SOI) and C 3v symmetry for the BiC monolayer, the armchair and zigzag BiC photodetectors can produce robust spin-dependent PGEs which possess the cos(2θ) and sin(2θ) relations on the photon energies, respectively. Especially, the pristine armchair and armchair Bi-vacancy BiC photodetectors can produce fully spin polarization, and pure spin current was found in the pristine armchair and zigzag BiC photodetector, respectively. Furthermore, after introducing the Bi-vacancy, C-vacancy, Bi-doping and C-doping respectively, the BiC photodetector can produce higher spin-dependent PGEs for their C s symmetry. Additionally, the behaviors of spin-dependent photoresponse are highly anisotropic which can be tuned by the photon energy. This work suggested great potential applications of the BiC monolayer on PGE-driven photodetectors in low energy-consumption optoelectronics and spintronic devices.

Spin orbit induced anisotropic giant effective g factor and reduced effective mass in non-magnetic Sn1−xSrxTe mixed crystal

The binary and ternary telluride systems containing europium as one of the magnetic components exhibit a higher effective g factor and much lower effective mass due to strong spin-orbit and s/p-f hybridized interaction mediated by the dopant impurity. In this communication, we have exploited the same for a ternary mixed crystal Sn1−xSrxTe, with strontium as the non-magnetic counterpart of europium. We have derived a functional equation within the framework of effective mass representation, accounting for both spin-orbit interaction and the presence of a magnetic field. In the context of k→⋅π→ model, at first, two MW (Mitchell-Wallis) band edge states are diagonalized properly, and subsequently, the off-band edge states are treated using perturbation up to the k2 level. We derived the formulas for the effective g factor and effective mass by employing Green's function method, considering the presence of spin-orbit interaction, magnetic field, and Sr impurity and assuming band inversion model as applicable to Sn1−xSrxTe system. Finally, we conduct a comprehensive examination of the effective g factor, effective mass, and their respective anisotropies in Sn1−xSrxTe considering their dependence on carrier concentration and impurity levels at T=300K. We present extremely elevated effective g factor; g=2230, for n−Sn1−xSrxTe and g=2160, for p−Sn1−xSrxTe respectively with large anisotropies and correspondingly low effective mass mc,v=0.003m0 around x=0.014 in the concentration range 0.01×1019 cm−3 to 0.1×1019 cm−3. Irrespective of the unsaturated electronic shell of Sr, the existence of strong spin-orbit interaction refers to the strong coupling of band edge states across the band minima triggered by substitutional impurity. The occurrence of a substantial effective g factor and low effective mass is unique in such non-magnetic Sn1−xSrxTe mixed crystal ever reported.