Field-induced negative differential spin lifetime in silicon
Abstract
We show that the electric field-induced thermal asymmetry between the electron and lattice systems in pure silicon substantially impacts the identity of the dominant spin relaxation mechanism. Comparison of empirical results from long-distance spin transport devices with detailed Monte-Carlo simulations confirms a strong spin depolarization beyond what is expected from the standard Elliott-Yafet theory already at low temperatures. The enhanced spin-flip mechanism is attributed to phonon emission processes during which electrons are scattered between conduction band valleys that reside on different crystal axes. This leads to anomalous behavior, where (beyond a critical field) reduction of the transit time between spin-injector and spin-detector is accompanied by a counterintuitive reduction in spin polarization and an apparent negative spin lifetime.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1108.4907,
title = {Field-induced negative differential spin lifetime in silicon},
author = {Jing Li and Lan Qing and Hanan Dery and Ian Appelbaum},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1108.4907},
year = {2012}
}