Skip to main content
Article
Ambipolar spin diffusion in p-type GaAs: A case where spin diffuses more than charge
Physics
  • F. Cadiz
  • V. Notot
  • J. Filipovic
  • Christopher P. Weber, Santa Clara University
  • L. Martinelli
  • A.C. H. Rowe
  • S. Arscott
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-7-2017
Publisher
American Institute of Physics Publishing
Abstract

We investigate the diffusion of charge and spin at 15 K in p-type GaAs, combining transient-grating and energy-resolved microluminescence measurements to cover a broad range of photoelectron density. At very low optical power, in a unipolar nondegenerate regime, charge and spin diffuse at the same rate, implying that the spin-drag effects are negligible. Upon increasing the photoelectron concentration up to about 1016 cm–3, the charge diffusion constant decreases because of ambipolar electrostatic interactions with the slower-diffusing holes while the spin diffusion constant is reduced only weakly by the ambipolar interaction. A further increase in the excitation power causes increases in both the charge and spin diffusion constants as a consequence of the Pauli principle since the photoelectron gas becomes degenerate.

Comments

Copyright © 2017 American Institute of Physics Publishing. Reprinted with permission.

Citation Information
Cadiz, F., Notot, V., Filipovic, J., Paget, D., Weber, C. P., Martinelli, L., … Arscott, S. (2017). Ambipolar spin diffusion in p-type GaAs: A case where spin diffuses more than charge. Journal of Applied Physics, 122(9), 095703. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4985831