Rashba-like spin-orbit interaction and spin texture at the KTaO${}_{\text{3}}$ (001) surface from DFT calculations

Abstract

Rashba-like spin-orbit interaction at oxide heterostructures emerges as a much sought-after feature in the context of oxide spintronics and spin-orbitronics. KTaO${}_3$ (KTO) is one of the best substrates available for the purpose, owing to its strong spin-orbit interaction and alternating $+1|-1$ charged layers along the (001) direction. Employing first-principles calculations within density functional theory (DFT) and proposing a possible electrostatic model for charge transfer to the surfaces of KTO slabs, we comprehensively analyze Rashba-like spin-orbit interaction with the help of three-dimensional band dispersion, isoenergetic contours, and projected spin textures $-$ all directly obtained from our DFT results $-$ in a thin insulating slab and a conducting thick slab of KTO. Our results reveal reasonably strong linear Rashba interaction with no signature of Dresselhaus or higher order Rashba interactions in the systems considered here. The rigorous analysis presented here may be crucial for future developments in oxide spintronics.

8 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Theory of spin-orbit coupling at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces and SrTiO3 surfaces
• Tuning ferromagnetism at interfaces between insulating perovskite oxides
• Nature of Orbital and Spin Rashba Coupling in the Surface Bands of SrTiO3 and KTaO3
• Perovskite oxide heterojunction for Rashba-Dresselhaus assisted antiferromagnetic spintronics

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Antiferromagnetism, spin splitting, and spin-orbit interaction in MnTe
• Mapping Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions to inversion asymmetry in perovskite oxide heterostructures
• Evidence of linear and cubic Rashba effect in non-magnetic heterostructure
• Proximity-induced Rashba spin-orbit interaction in BaMnO${}_{\text{3}}|$KTaO${}_{\text{3}}$ heterostructure for antiferromagnetic spintronics