Spin blocker made of semiconductor double quantum well using the Rashba effect

Abstract

We propose a lateral spin-blockade device that uses an InGaAs/InAlAs double quantum well (DQW), where the values of the Rashba spin-orbit parameter $\alpha_{\rm R}$ are opposite in sign but equal in magnitude between the constituent quantum wells (QW). By tuning the channel length of DQW and the magnitude of the externally applied in-plane magnetic field, one can block the transmission of one spin (e.g., spin-down) component, leading to a spin-polarized current. Such a spin-blocking effect, brought about by wave vector matching of the spin-split Fermi surfaces between the two QWs, paves the way for a new scheme of spin-polarized electric current generation for future spintronics applications based on semiconductor band engineering.