Electrical manipulation of Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-5641.2018.02.010

Abstract

Abstract: Using the first-principles density functional theory calculations, we investigate the Rashba spin-orbit coupling of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers MX₂(M=Mo, W; X=S, Se, Te) induced by the external electric field. It is found that the anions X play an important role on the Rashba spin-orbit coupling effect. With the increase of the atomic number of X, Rashba spin-orbit splitting around the Γ point increases more distinctively, and the external electric field can hardly influence the cations because of the coverage by the anions. Thus the strength of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling follows the sequence:WTe₂ > MoTe₂ > WSe₂ > MoSe₂ > WS₂ > MoS₂. Furthermore, the distribution of the spin polarization along the high symmetry line Γ-K/K' turns from the vertical direction to the two-dimensional plane under the external electric fields, and the in-plane spin polarization distribution rises with the increase of the external electric field.

Key words: two-dimentional transition metal dichalcogenide, Rashba spin-orbit coupling, first-principles calculation

CLC Number:

O411.3

YAO Qun-fang, CAI Jia, GONG Shi-jing. Electrical manipulation of Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide[J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Natural Sc, 2018, 2018(2): 101-108.

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