Generation and control of spin-polarized photocurrents in GaMnAs heterostructures

Author(s)

Bezerra, Anibal T. ^{[1, 2]} ; Castelano, Leonardo K. ^[1] ; Degani, Marcos H. ^{[3, 2]} ; Maialle, Marcelo Z. ^{[3, 2]} ; Farinas, Paulo F. ^{[1, 2]} ; Studart, Nelson ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Fis, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] CNPq MCT, DISSE Inst Nacl Ciencia & Tecnol Nanodisposit Sem, Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Fac Ciencias Aplicadas, BR-13484350 Limeira, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Applied Physics Letters; v. 104, n. 2 JAN 13 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Photocurrents are calculated for a specially designed GaMnAs semiconductor heterostructure. The results reveal regions in the infrared range of the energy spectrum, in which the proposed structure is remarkably spin-selective. For such photon energies, the generated photocurrents are strongly spin-polarized. Application of a relatively small static bias in the growth direction of the structure is predicted to efficiently reverse the spin-polarization for some photon energies. This behavior suggests the possibility of conveniently simple switching mechanisms. The physics underlying the results is studied and understood in terms of the spin-dependent properties emerging from the particular potential profile of the structure. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/13052-6 - Transport properties and quantum computation in nanostructures
• Grantee: Leonardo Kleber Castelano
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants