arXiv · 0811.3486
Spin-injection Hall effect in a planar photovoltaic cell
Abstract
Successful incorporation of the spin degree of freedom in semiconductor technology requires the development of a new paradigm allowing for a scalable, non-destructive electrical detection of the spin-polarization of injected charge carriers as they propagate along the semiconducting channel. In this paper we report the observation of a spin-injection Hall effect (SIHE) which exploits the quantum-relativistic nature of spin-charge transport and which meets all these key requirements on the spin detection. The two-dimensional electron-hole gas photo-voltaic cell we designed to observe the SIHE allows us to develop a quantitative microscopic theory of the phenomenon and to demonstrate its direct application in optoelectronics. We report an experimental realization of a non-magnetic spin-photovoltaic effect via the SIHE, rendering our device an electrical polarimeter which directly converts the degree of circular polarization of light to a voltage signal.
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J. Wunderlich, A. C. Irvine, Jairo Sinova, B. G. Park, X. L. Xu, B. Kaestner, V. Novak, T. Jungwirth. 2008-11-21. Spin-injection Hall effect in a planar photovoltaic cell. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys1359
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