Spin Polarized Transport and Spin Relaxation in Quantum Wires

Abstract

We give an introduction to spin dynamics in quantum wires. After a review of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) mechanisms in semiconductors, the spin diffusion equation with SOC is introduced. We discuss the particular conditions in which solutions of the spin diffusion equation with vanishing spin relaxation rates exist, where the spin density forms persistent spin helices. We give an overview of spin relaxation mechanisms, with particular emphasis on the motional narrowing mechanism in disordered conductors, the D’yakonov–Perel’ spin relaxation. The solution of the spin diffusion equation in quantum wires shows that the spin relaxation becomes diminished when reducing the wire width below the spin precession length L _SO. This corresponds to an effective alignment of the spin-orbit field in quantum wires and the formation of persistent spin helices whose form as well as amplitude is a measure of the particular SOCs, the linear Rashba and the linear Dresselhaus coupling. Cubic Dresselhaus coupling is found to yield in diffusive wires an undiminished contribution to the spin relaxation rate, however. We discuss recent experimental results which confirm the reduction of the spin relaxation rate. We next review theoretical proposals for creating spin-polarized currents in a T-shape structure with Rashba-SOC. For relatively small SOC, high spin polarization can be obtained. However, the corresponding conductance has been found to be small. Due to the self-duality of the scattering matrix for a system with spin-orbit interaction, no spin polarization of the current can be obtained for single-channel transport in two-terminal devices. Therefore, one has to consider at least a conductor with three terminals. We review results showing that the amplitude of the spin polarization becomes large if the SOC is sufficiently strong. We argue that the predicted effect should be experimentally accessible in InAs. For a possible experimental realization of InAs spin filters, see [1].