TITLE:
Spontaneous Spin Polarization of Electrons by Diluted Magnetic Heterostructures
AUTHORS:
Chang Woo Lee, Amalorpavam John Peter
KEYWORDS:
Spin Polarized Transport, Spin Injection, Spin-Orbit Coupling, Resonant Tunneling
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Modern Physics,
Vol.2 No.11,
November
23,
2011
ABSTRACT: The spin dependent electron transmission phenomenon in a diluted resonant semiconductor heterostructure is employed theoretically to investigate the output transmission current polarization at zero magnetic field. Transparency of electron transmission is calculated as a function of electron energy and the well width, within the one electron band approximation along with the spin orbit interaction. Enhanced spin-polarized resonant tunneling in the heterostructure due to Dresselhaus and Rashba spin-orbit coupling induced splitting of the resonant level is observed. We predict that a spin-polarized current spontaneously emerges in this heterostructure and we estimate theoretically that the polarization can reach 40%. This effect could be employed in the fabrication of spin filters, spin injectors and detectors based on non-magnetic semiconductors.