Asymmetric edge modes by staggered potential in honeycomb lattice: Spin splitter
Journal
Journal of Applied Physics
Journal Volume
117
Journal Issue
17
Pages
17C705
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Abstract
In honeycomb lattice with staggered potential such as silicene nanoribbon (SN) as used for illustrations here, we show that the lack of inversion symmetry due to buckled structure can lead to asymmetric edge modes where only one edge is utilized in transport, yielding no cross-walk (due to size effect) between edges. We also find asymmetric Hall accumulations formed because of the presence of staggered potential. Applying two opposite out-of-plane electric fields to two adjacent SNs appropriately, so that cross-walk occurs between two internal edge states, the bulk states serve as a spin-splitter that splits two specious of spins (spin-up and spin-down) into those two SNs. The spin-splitter proposed here does not require any magnetic field and thus manipulates spins in a full electric manner.
Type
journal article