The study of spin- and valley-dependent electron transport properties in silicene modulated by metallic gates.

We investigate the spin- and valley-dependent transport properties of electrons in silicene modulated by metallic gates, which can produce a potential barrier to affect the electron transport. The numerical results show that in such a silicene nanostructure the large spin polarization and valley polarization can be obtained, and they are strongly dependent on the height and width of the potential barrier. Therefore, the required degree of spin polarization and valley polarization can be realized through changing the height and/or width of the potential barrier. This valuable discovery well reveals the spin- and valley-dependent electron transport mechanism in such a silicene and is helpful for designing new kinds of spintronic and valleytronic devices modulated by metallic gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]