D'yakonov-Perel' spin relaxation in InSb/AlInSb quantum wells

TL;DR

This paper theoretically studies D'yakonov-Perel' spin relaxation in InSb/AlInSb quantum wells, revealing anomalous behaviors and resonant enhancements influenced by electron density and temperature, aligning well with recent experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed theoretical analysis using an eight-band Kane model, highlighting differences from single-band models and identifying a resonant peak in spin relaxation time.

Findings

Resonant enhancement of spin relaxation time at specific electron densities.

Anomalous spin-orbit interactions significantly affect relaxation behavior.

Resonant peak diminishes as temperature increases.

Abstract

We investigate theoretically the D'yakonov-Perel' spin relaxation time by solving the eight-band Kane model and Poisson equation self-consistently. Our results show distinct behavior with the single-band model due to the anomalous spin-orbit interactions in narrow band-gap semiconductors, and agree well with the experiment values reported in recent experiment (K. L. Litvinenko, et al., New J. Phys. \textbf{8}, 49 (2006)). We find a strong resonant enhancement of the spin relaxation time appears for spin align along [$1\bar{1}0$] at a certain electron density at 4 K. This resonant peak is smeared out with increasing the temperature.