Abstract
Using the spin of the electron to carry information, instead of or in addition to its charge, could provide advances in the capabilities of microelectronics. Successful implementation of spin-based electronics requires preservation of the electron spin coherence. In n-doped semiconductors, long spin-coherence times have been observed, with a maximum at a ‘magic’ electron density. Here, we vary the density in a two-dimensional electron gas, and show that spin coherence is lost because of the interplay between localization by disorder and dynamical scattering. By measuring the electron Landé g-factor dependence on density, we determine the density of states (DOS), which characterizes the disorder potential. Using our knowledge of the DOS, a simple model estimates the temperature and excitation intensity dependence of the g factor, qualitatively agreeing with experiments. This agreement confirms the importance of disorder and provides predictive power for designing spin-based electronic devices.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge support from NSF. S.G.C. is supported by a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship.
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Chen, Z., Carter, S., Bratschitsch, R. et al. Effects of disorder on electron spin dynamics in a semiconductor quantum well. Nature Phys 3, 265–269 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys537
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys537
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