We investigated Rashba spin–orbit interaction in various InAs-based heterostructures to evaluate the relative significance of the electric field in the quantum wells (QWs) and at the interfaces. Test structures were designed in such a way that the peak of the electron wave function was located on the abrupt band discontinuity at the front end of the main channel, whereas a control sample had no band discontinuity in the middle of the QW. The Rashba coefficient obtained for the test structures was almost double that of the control sample. Significant contribution of the electric field at the band discontinuity was verified by k · p calculation. Bandgap engineering was shown to be effective for obtaining an increased Rashba coefficient.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to Munekazu Ohno for useful discussions. This work was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
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Matsuda, T., Yoh, K. Enhancement of Spin–Orbit Interaction by Bandgap Engineering in InAs-Based Heterostructures. J. Electron. Mater. 37, 1806–1810 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-008-0559-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-008-0559-4