Rashba spin-orbit effect on traversal time in ferromagnetic/semiconductor/ferromagnetic heterojunction.

Based on the group velocity concept, we investigated the traversal time of a quasi-one-dimensional waveguide that contains the ferromagnetic/semiconductor/ferromagnetic heterojunction in the presence of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. The significant quantum size, quantum coherence, and Rashba spin-orbit interaction are considered simultaneously. The results indicate that as the strength of the spin-orbit coupling increases, the traversal time considerably decreases. The results also indicate that the traversal time is not prolonged linearly as the length of the semiconductor increases but shows step-like behavior. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]