R. V. Cherbunin, M. S. Kuznetsova, I. Ya. Gerlovin, I. V. Ignat'ev, Yu. K. Dolgikh, Yu. P. Efimov, S. A. Eliseev, V. V. Petrov, S. V. Poltavtsev, A. V. Larionov, A. I. Il’in, “Carrier spin dynamics in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells with a laterally localizing electric potential”, Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 2009, Volume 51, Issue 4,Pages <nobr>791

Low-dimensional systems and surface physics

Carrier spin dynamics in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells with a laterally localizing electric potential

R. V. Cherbunin^a, M. S. Kuznetsova^a, I. Ya. Gerlovin^a, I. V. Ignat'ev^a, Yu. K. Dolgikh^a, Yu. P. Efimov^a, S. A. Eliseev^a, V. V. Petrov^a, S. V. Poltavtsev^a, A. V. Larionov^b, A. I. Il’in^c

^a Saint Petersburg State University
^b Osipyan Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow region
^c Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High-Purity Materials RAS, Chernogolovka, Moskovskaya obl.

Abstract: The spin orientation dynamics in a GaAs quantum well with a laterally nonuniform electric potential generated by a mosaic electrode deposited on the surface of the sample has been investigated using the photoinduced magneto-optical Kerr effect. It has been found that the application of a negative potential higher than 1 V to the electrode leads to more than a hundredfold increase in the spin polarization lifetime in the sample under study. It is concluded that so strong slowing down of the relaxation is caused by a combined action of two effects, namely, the spatial separation of electron and hole, which reduces the radiative recombination rate of electron-hole pair, and the localization of electron, which is accompanied by the suppression of spin relaxation processes caused by electron motion.

Received: 04.09.2008