Tunable interfacial Rashba spin-orbit coupling in asymmetric Al$_x$In$_{1-x}$Sb/InSb/CdTe quantum well heterostructures
Abstract
The manipulation of Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in molecular beam epitaxy-grown AlInSb/InSb/CdTe quantum well heterostructures is reported. The effective band bending provides robust two-dimensional quantum confinement, while the unidirectional built-in electric field from the asymmetric hetero-interfaces results in pronounced Rashba SOC strength. By tuning the Al concentration in the top AlInSb barrier layer, the optimal structure with shows the largest Rashba coefficient of 0.23 eV-Angstrom. and the highest low-temperature electron mobility of 4400 cm/Vs . Quantitative investigations of the weak anti-localization effect further confirm the dominant D'yakonov-Perel (DP) spin relaxation mechanism during charge-to-spin conversion. These findings highlight the significance of quantum well engineering in shaping magneto-resistance responses, and narrow bandgap semiconductor-based heterostructures may offer a reliable platform for energy-efficient spintronic applications.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2408.10032,
title = {Tunable interfacial Rashba spin-orbit coupling in asymmetric Al$_x$In$_{1-x}$Sb/InSb/CdTe quantum well heterostructures},
author = {Hanzhi Ruan and Zhenghang Zhi and Yuyang Wu and Jiuming Liu and Puyang Huang and Shan Yao and Xinqi Liu and Chenjia Tang and Qi Yao and Lu Sun and Yifan Zhang and Yujie Xiao and Renchao Che and Xufeng Kou},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2408.10032},
year = {2024}
}