Spatial Imaging and Mechanical Control of Spin Coherence in Strained GaAs Epilayers

TL;DR

This study investigates how uniaxial tensile strain affects spin coherence in GaAs epilayers, using advanced optical techniques to map electronic and nuclear properties across strained regions.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive optical imaging approach to simultaneously measure electronic and nuclear spin properties under strain in GaAs epilayers, revealing strain-dependent spin dynamics.

Findings

Strain modifies electron spin lifetime and g-factor.

Nuclear quadrupole splitting varies with strain.

Optical NMR techniques access new field regimes.

Abstract

The effect of uniaxial tensile strain on spin coherence in n-type GaAs epilayers is probed using time-resolved Kerr rotation, photoluminescence, and optically-detected nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The bandgap, electron spin lifetime, electron g-factor, and nuclear quadrupole splitting are simultaneously imaged over millimeter scale areas of the epilayers for continuously varying values of strain. All-optical nuclear magnetic resonance techniques allow access to the strain induced nuclear quadrupolar resonance splitting in field regimes not easily addressable using conventional optically-detected nuclear magnetic resonance.