Doping-induced persistent spin helix with large spin splitting in monolayer SnSe

Abstract

Finding a new class of materials supporting a long spin lifetime is essential in development of energy-saving spintronics, which is achievable by using a persistent spin helix (PSH) materials. However, for spintronic devices, the PSH states with large spin splitting is required for operation at room temperature. By employing first-principles calculations, we show that the PSH states with large spin splitting are achieved in the SnSe monolayer (ML) functionalized by a substitutional halogen impurity. We find the PSH states in the Fermi level where k-space Fermi surface is characterized by the shifted two loops, dominated by out-of-plane spin orientations. We clarify the PSH states in term of an effective k.p Hamiltonian obtained from symmetry consideration. Finally, large spin-orbit strength in the PSH states with a substantially small wavelength are found, rendering that this system is promising for the development of an efficient and high-density scalable spintronic devices operating at room temperatures.