Large tuneable Rashba spin splitting of a two-dimensional electron gas in Bi2Se3

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates large, tunable Rashba spin splitting in a 2D electron gas within Bi2Se3, showing potential for nanoscale spintronic devices operable at room temperature.

Contribution

It provides the first demonstration of electrostatically tunable, large Rashba spin splitting in a topological insulator's 2D electron gas, surpassing semiconductor values.

Findings

Achieved significant Rashba spin splitting in Bi2Se3

Controlled spin splitting via electrostatic gating

Potential for room-temperature spintronic applications

Abstract

We report a Rashba spin splitting of a two-dimensional electron gas in the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We further demonstrate its electrostatic control, and show that spin splittings can be achieved which are at least an order-of-magnitude larger than in other semiconductors. Together these results show promise for the miniaturization of spintronic devices to the nanoscale and their operation at room temperature.