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Spin-Orbit Coupling In An In0.52Ga0.48As Quantum Well With Two Populated Subbands, P. J. Simmonds, S. N. Holmes, H. E. Beere, D. A. Ritchie

Paul J. Simmonds

Structural inversion asymmetry controls the magnitude of Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the electron energy spectrum of a narrow band gap semiconductor. We investigate this effect for a series of two-dimensional electron gases in In_0.52Ga_0.48As quantum wells, surrounded by In_0.52Al_0.48As barriers, where either one or two electric subbands are populated. Structural inversion asymmetry does not exist at low carrier density while at higher carrier densities (above (4–5) × 10¹¹ cm⁻²), a finite spin splitting is observed. The spin orbit coupling coefficients (α) are determined from the power spectrum …