Suppression of Spin Relaxation in Submicron InGaAs Wires

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that electron spin relaxation times increase in narrow InGaAs wires, with suppression observed at widths much larger than the mean free path, highlighting the influence of dimensional constraints on spin dynamics.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of spin relaxation suppression in wider-than-expected InGaAs channels, confirming theoretical predictions related to the D'yakonov-Perel' mechanism.

Findings

Spin relaxation times increase as channel width decreases.

Suppression of relaxation occurs at widths much larger than the mean free path.

Spin precession length and channel width are key to understanding results.

Abstract

We investigate electron spin dynamics in narrow two-dimensional n-InGaAs channels as a function of the channel width. The spin relaxation times increase with decreasing channel width, in accordance with recent theoretical predictions based on the dimensionally-constrained D'yakonov-Perel' mechanism. Surprisingly, the suppression of the relaxation rate, which is anticipated for the one-dimensional limit, is observed for widths that are an order of magnitude larger than the electron mean free path. We find the spin precession length and the channel width to be the relevant length scales for interpreting these results.