Formation of Ideal Rashba States on Layered Semiconductor Surfaces Steered by Strain Engineering

Abstract

Spin splitting of Rashba states in two-dimensional electron system provides a promising mechanism of spin manipulation for spintronics applications. However, Rashba states realized experimentally to date are often outnumbered by spin-degenerated substrate states at the same energy range, hindering their practical applications. Here, by density functional theory calculation, we show that Au one monolayer film deposition on a layered semiconductor surface beta-InSe(0001) can possess "ideal" Rashba states with large spin splitting, which are completely situated inside the large band gap of the substrate. The position of the Rashba bands can be tuned over a wide range with respect to the substrate band edges by experimentally accessible strain. Furthermore, our nonequilibrium Green's function transport calculation shows that this system may give rise to the long-sought strong current modulation when made into a device of Datta-Das transistor. Similar systems may be identified with other metal ultrathin films and layered semiconductor substrates to realize ideal Rashba states.

Nano Letters 2015

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Cited by in corpus (4)

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• Unconventional thermoelectric behaviors and enhancement of figure of merit in Rashba spintronic systems
• Prediction of giant and ideal Rashba-type splitting in ordered alloy monolayers grown on a polar surface
• Gallium Bismuth Halides GaBi-X2 (X= I, Br, Cl) Monolayers with Distorted Hexagonal Framework: Novel Room-Temperature Quantum Spin Hall Insulators