Spin-polarized transient electron trapping in phosphorus-doped silicon

Area of Science:

• Solid State Physics
• Quantum Information Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Electron spin transport is crucial for spintronics and quantum computing.
• Understanding spin dynamics in semiconductor channels is essential for device development.
• Phosphorus-doped silicon is a key material in semiconductor technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate electron spin precession in a phosphorus-doped silicon channel.
• To differentiate and characterize distinct spin transport timescales.
• To explore the role of impurity states in spin dynamics for quantum applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an all-electrical device with a phosphorus-doped silicon channel.
• Performed temperature, voltage, and electron density dependence measurements.
• Compared experimental data with a numerical model to analyze spin precession origins.

Main Results:

• Observed two distinct electron spin precession timescales: ~50 ps (conduction band) and ~1 ns (impurity traps).
• Identified the contribution of metastable excited states in the phosphorus-impurity spectrum.
• Established a link between macroscopic spin transport and quantum interactions with individual impurities.

Conclusions:

• Macroscopic spin transport phenomena in doped silicon are influenced by quantum interactions with impurity states.
• The study demonstrates the relevance of macroscopic spin transport to quantum information processing.
• Findings pave the way for utilizing impurity interactions in quantum computing architectures.