Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
Published on: August 2, 2019
Rashba Spin Splitting in HgCdTe Quantum Wells with Inverted and Normal Band Structures
Svetlana V Gudina1, Vladimir N Neverov1, Mikhail R Popov1
1M.N. Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 620108 Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Researchers studied spin-orbit coupling in HgCdTe quantum wells using Shubnikov-de-Haas oscillations. They found significant Rashba splitting in both normal and inverted band structures, attributed to p-type wave functions.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Mechanics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Quantum wells (QWs) are crucial in semiconductor research.
- Understanding spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is vital for spintronics.
- HgCdTe heterosystems offer tunable electronic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling in HgCdTe/CdHgTe quantum wells.
- To characterize SOC in both normal and inverted band structures.
- To determine the magnetic field dependence of Rashba spin-splitting.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Shubnikov-de-Haas (SdH) oscillations.
- Analyzing beatings in SdH oscillations to extract spin-splitting.
- Employing multiple methods for reliable Rashba splitting quantification.
Main Results:
- Observed large and similar Rashba splitting (25-27 meV) in different HgCdTe band structures.
- Rashba splitting was consistent in normal (E1 subband) and inverted (H1 subband) spectra.
- The findings were explained by a significant contribution of p-type wave functions.
Conclusions:
- Rashba-type SOC is significant in HgCdTe quantum wells with variable Cd(Hg) composition.
- The p-type wave function fraction plays a key role in the observed spin-splitting.
- This research provides insights into spintronic applications in HgCdTe-based devices.
More Related Videos
11:33All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
09:00Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
IR Spectrum Peak Splitting: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Vibrations
¹H NMR: Complex Splitting
Splitting diagrams or splitting tree diagrams are routinely used to depict such complex couplings. While drawing splitting diagrams, the splitting with the larger coupling constant is usually applied...
¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling
A broadband decoupling technique is used to simplify these complex, sometimes overlapping, signals. Broadband decoupling relies on a...
Energy Bands in Solids
Band Formation:
When atoms are brought close together, as in a solid, these discrete energy levels begin to split due to the overlap of electron orbitals from adjacent atoms. This split occurs because of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states...
¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are...