https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-021-00184-x
Regular Article - Solid State and Materials
Ballistic spin transport through a metallic system of two junctions with strong spin–orbit coupling
Department of Physics, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
Received:
5
March
2021
Accepted:
9
August
2021
Published online:
20
August
2021
Inversion asymmetry at an interface separating two different metals can produce a strong interfacial Rashba spin–orbit coupling (ISOC) that induces various charge and spin transport phenomena. For the sake of analyzing such emergent phenomena in a ballistic approximation, we consider a simple model of a metallic system of two interfaces with strong spin–orbit coupling. We show that the ISOC would be responsible for inducing a z-dependent and z-independent secondary lateral charge currents from the primary spin current injected in the system (spin-charge current conversion), where the z-direction corresponds to the direction of flow of the primary spin current. We explain the fundamental background behind this induction in terms of quantum interference effects. Furthermore, we show that the presence of a tunneling barrier between the two interfaces increases spin current attenuation, but reduces it once the width of the tunneling barrier becomes sufficiently large.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
