Symposium "Nanophysics and Nanoelectronics", Nizhny Novgorod, March 2013

Spin-polarized currents in the tunnel contact of a normal conductor and a two-dimensional topological insulator

A. A. Sukhanov, V. A. Sablikov

Kotelnikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics, Fryazino Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: The spin filtering of electrons tunneling from the edge states of a two-dimensional topological insulator into a normal conductor under a magnetic field (external or induced due to proximity to a magnetic insulator) is studied. Calculations are performed for a tunnel contact of finite length between the topological insulator and an electronic multimode quantum strip. It is shown that the flow of tunneling electrons is split in the strip, so that spin-polarized currents arise in its left and right branches. These currents can be effectively controlled by the contact voltage and the chemical potential of the system. The presence of a magnetic field, which splits the spin subbands of the electron spectrum in the strip, gives rise to switching of the spin current between the strip branches.

Received: 22.04.2013
Accepted: 30.04.2013

 English version: Semiconductors, 2013, 47:11, 1456–1460

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