Optical manipulation of linear magnetogyrotropic photogalvanic effect in a GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As heterostructure

Abstract

Electric detection of spin currents is critical for integrating spintronic devices into charge-based semiconductor chips and systems. The magnetogyrotropic photogalvanic effect (MPGE) converts spin current into charge current through spin–orbit coupling in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field. A giant MPGE photocurrent implies either a large spin current or high spin-to-charge conversion efficiency, whichever is important for future spintronic devices. In this Letter, we report on the MPGE photocurrents excited by linearly polarized near-infrared radiation in a GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As heterostructure, which are increased by up to five times by an additional visible light with adjustable power. We present a theoretical model and suggest that the optical manipulation of the linear MPGE photocurrent is primarily attributed to the spin current tuned by the momentum relaxation time and spin splittings.