We study spin precession due to Rashba spin splitting of electrons and holes in semiconductor quantum wells. Based on a simple analytical expression that we derive for the current modulation in a broad class of experimental situations of ferromagnet/nonmagnetic semiconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures, we conclude that the Datta-Das spin transistor (i) is feasible with holes and (ii) its functionality is not affected by integration over injection angles. The current modulation shows a universal oscillation period, irrespective of the different forms of the Rashba Hamiltonian for electrons and holes. The analytic formulas approximate extremely well exact numerical calculations of a more elaborate Kohn--Luttinger model.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0212560,
title = {Universal Rashba Spin Precession of Two-Dimensional Electrons and Holes},
author = {Marco G. Pala and Michele Governale and Jürgen König and Ulrich Zülicke},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0212560},
year = {2009}
}