Semiclassical kinetic theory of electron spin relaxation in semiconductors

Abstract

We develop a semiclassical kinetic theory for electron spin relaxation in semiconductors. Our approach accounts for elastic as well as inelastic scattering and treats Elliott-Yafet and motional-narrowing processes, such as D'yakonov-Perel' and variable g-factor processes, on an equal footing. Focusing on small spin polarizations and small momentum transfer scattering, we derive, starting from the full quantum kinetic equations, a Fokker-Planck equation for the electron spin polarization. We then construct, using a rigorous multiple time scale approach, a Bloch equation for the macroscopic ($\vec{k}$-averaged) spin polarization on the long time scale, where the spin polarization decays. Spin-conserving energy relaxation and diffusion, which occur on a fast time scale, after the initial spin polarization has been injected, are incorporated and shown to give rise to a weight function which defines the energy averages required for the calculation of the spin relaxation tensor in the Bloch equation. Our approach provides an intuitive way to conceptualize the dynamics of the spin polarization in terms of a ``test'' spin polarization which scatters off ``field'' particles (electrons, impurities, phonons). To illustrate our approach, we calculate for a quantum well the spin lifetime at temperatures and densities where electron-electron and electron-impurity scattering dominate. The spin lifetimes are non-monotonic functions of temperature and density. Our results show that at electron densities and temperatures, where the cross-over from the non-degenerate to the degenerate regime occurs, spin lifetimes are particularly long.

29 pages, 10 figures, final version

References in corpus (1)

• Rashba-effect-induced spin dephasing in n-typed InAs quantum wells

Cited by in corpus (22)

• Spin dynamics in semiconductors
• Decoherence of transported spin in multichannel spin-orbit coupled spintronic devices: Scattering approach to spin density matrix from the ballistic to the localized regime
• Electron spin relaxation in bulk III-V semiconductors from a fully microscopic kinetic spin Bloch equation approach
• Spin relaxation in $n$-type GaAs quantum wells from a full microscopic approach
• Diffusive and precessional spin dynamics in a two-dimensional electron gas with disorder: a gauge theory view
• Spin Orientation of Holes in Quantum Wells
• Non-exponential spin relaxation in magnetic field in quantum wells with random spin-orbit coupling
• Effects of strain, electric, and magnetic fields on lateral electron spin transport in semiconductor epilayers
• Spin relaxation under identical Dresselhaus and Rashba coupling strengths in GaAs quantum wells
• Effect of electron-electron scattering on spin dephasing in a high-mobility low-density twodimensional electron gas
• Spin polarization decay in spin-1/2 and spin-3/2 systems
• Electron Spin Dynamics in Impure Quantum Wells for Arbitrary Spin-Orbit Coupling
• Spin relaxation in $n$-type (111) GaAs quantum wells
• Extrinsic spin Nernst effect in two-dimensional electron systems
• Hole spin relaxation in $p$-type GaAs quantum wires
• Multivalley spin relaxation in $n$-type bulk GaAs in the presence of high electric fields
• Hole spin relaxation and coefficients in Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation in ferromagnetic GaMnAs
• Electron spin relaxation in $p$-type GaAs quantum wells
• Coupled spin-charge drift-diffusion approach for a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba spin-orbit coupling
• Spin dynamics of electrons in the first excited subband of a high-mobility low-density 2D electron system
• Derivation of Electron Spin Relaxation Rate by Electron-Phonon Interaction Using a New Diagram Method
• Spin relaxation in a zinc-blende (110) symmetric quantum well with delta-doping