IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-022-33978-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Field-induced ultrafast modulation of Rashba coupling at room temperature in ferroelectric α-GeTe(111)

Author

Listed:
  • Geoffroy Kremer

    (Université de Fribourg
    Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies
    CNRS-Université de Lorraine, Campus ARTEM, 2 allée André Guinier, BP 50840)

  • Julian Maklar

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Laurent Nicolaï

    (New Technologies-Research Center University of West Bohemia)

  • Christopher W. Nicholson

    (Université de Fribourg
    Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Changming Yue

    (Université de Fribourg)

  • Caio Silva

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Philipp Werner

    (Université de Fribourg)

  • J. Hugo Dil

    (Paul Scherrer Institut
    Institute of physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • Juraj Krempaský

    (Paul Scherrer Institut)

  • Gunther Springholz

    (Johannes Kepler Universität)

  • Ralph Ernstorfer

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
    Technische Universität Berlin)

  • Jan Minár

    (New Technologies-Research Center University of West Bohemia)

  • Laurenz Rettig

    (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society)

  • Claude Monney

    (Université de Fribourg)

Abstract

Rashba materials have appeared as an ideal playground for spin-to-charge conversion in prototype spintronics devices. Among them, α-GeTe(111) is a non-centrosymmetric ferroelectric semiconductor for which a strong spin-orbit interaction gives rise to giant Rashba coupling. Its room temperature ferroelectricity was recently demonstrated as a route towards a new type of highly energy-efficient non-volatile memory device based on switchable polarization. Currently based on the application of an electric field, the writing and reading processes could be outperformed by the use of femtosecond light pulses requiring exploration of the possible control of ferroelectricity on this timescale. Here, we probe the room temperature transient dynamics of the electronic band structure of α-GeTe(111) using time and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our experiments reveal an ultrafast modulation of the Rashba coupling mediated on the fs timescale by a surface photovoltage, namely an increase corresponding to a 13% enhancement of the lattice distortion. This opens the route for the control of the ferroelectric polarization in α-GeTe(111) and ferroelectric semiconducting materials in quantum heterostructures.

Suggested Citation

  • Geoffroy Kremer & Julian Maklar & Laurent Nicolaï & Christopher W. Nicholson & Changming Yue & Caio Silva & Philipp Werner & J. Hugo Dil & Juraj Krempaský & Gunther Springholz & Ralph Ernstorfer & Jan, 2022. "Field-induced ultrafast modulation of Rashba coupling at room temperature in ferroelectric α-GeTe(111)," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-6, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-33978-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33978-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33978-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-022-33978-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. J. C. Rojas Sánchez & L. Vila & G. Desfonds & S. Gambarelli & J. P. Attané & J. M. De Teresa & C. Magén & A. Fert, 2013. "Spin-to-charge conversion using Rashba coupling at the interface between non-magnetic materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. M. Michiardi & F. Boschini & H.-H. Kung & M. X. Na & S. K. Y. Dufresne & A. Currie & G. Levy & S. Zhdanovich & A. K. Mills & D. J. Jones & J. L. Mi & B. B. Iversen & Ph. Hofmann & A. Damascelli, 2022. "Optical manipulation of Rashba-split 2-dimensional electron gas," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. J. Maklar & Y. W. Windsor & C. W. Nicholson & M. Puppin & P. Walmsley & V. Esposito & M. Porer & J. Rittmann & D. Leuenberger & M. Kubli & M. Savoini & E. Abreu & S. L. Johnson & P. Beaud & G. Ingold , 2021. "Nonequilibrium charge-density-wave order beyond the thermal limit," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sara Varotto & Annika Johansson & Börge Göbel & Luis M. Vicente-Arche & Srijani Mallik & Julien Bréhin & Raphaël Salazar & François Bertran & Patrick Le Fèvre & Nicolas Bergeal & Julien Rault & Ingrid, 2022. "Direct visualization of Rashba-split bands and spin/orbital-charge interconversion at KTaO3 interfaces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. B. Arnoldi & S. L. Zachritz & S. Hedwig & M. Aeschlimann & O. L. A. Monti & B. Stadtmüller, 2024. "Revealing hidden spin polarization in centrosymmetric van der Waals materials on ultrafast timescales," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Wibson W. G. Silva & José Holanda, 2023. "One analytical approach of Rashba–Edelstein magnetoresistance in 2D materials," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 96(4), pages 1-7, April.
    4. Nguyen Nhat Quyen & Wen-Yen Tzeng & Chih-En Hsu & I-An Lin & Wan-Hsin Chen & Hao-Hsiang Jia & Sheng-Chiao Wang & Cheng-En Liu & Yu-Sheng Chen & Wei-Liang Chen & Ta-Lei Chou & I-Ta Wang & Chia-Nung Kuo, 2024. "Three-dimensional ultrafast charge-density-wave dynamics in CuTe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Dohyun Kim & Eui-Cheol Shin & Yongjoon Lee & Young Hee Lee & Mali Zhao & Yong-Hyun Kim & Heejun Yang, 2022. "Atomic-scale thermopower in charge density wave states," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-33978-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.