A Theoretical Analysis of Spin-Dependent Tunneling in ZnO-Based Heterostructures: Effect of Electric Field

We studied theoretically the tunneling of electrons in ZnO/ZnCdO semiconducting double-barrier heterostructure with the application of an external electric field. Induced Rasbha spin-orbit interaction (RSOI) caused the spin-separation in the considered heterostructure. The addition of the Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction (DSOI) enhances the separation between the different spin orientations. Even without in-built Rasbha spin-orbit interaction, one can obtain 100% spin-polarization efficiency in this heterostructure. The DSOI enhances the separation between spin-up and spin-down electrons on the energy scale. The increasing electric field reduces the energy of resonance spin-polarization and it reduces the spin-separation. The results might be helpful for the fabrication of ZnO-based spintronic devices.