All-electric single electron spin-to-charge conversion

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel all-electric method for converting single electron spin states into charge signals using spin-dependent displacement induced by electric field pulses in a quantum dot nanowire device, enabling spin measurement.

Contribution

The work introduces a realistic nanodevice design utilizing electric field pulses to achieve spin-to-charge conversion via Rashba spin-orbit coupling, advancing spin detection technology.

Findings

Successful modeling of spin-dependent electron displacement in a quantum dot

Proposed device design for electric field-based spin-to-charge conversion

Feasibility demonstrated with realistic material parameters and voltages

Abstract

We examine spin-dependent displacement of a single electron, resulting in separation and relocation of the electron wavefunction components, and thus charge parts, corresponding to opposite spins. This separation is induced by a pulse of an electric field which generates varying Rashba type spin-orbit coupling. This mechanism is next implemented in a nanodevice based on a gated quantum dot defined within a quantum nanowire. The electric field pulse is generated by ultrafast changes of voltages, of the order of several hundred mV, applied to nearby gates. The device is modeled realistically with appropriate material parameters and voltages applied to the gates, yielding an accurate confinement potential and Rashba coupling. At the end, we propose a spin-to-charge conversion device, which with an additional charge detector will allow for electron spin state measurement.