Low-temperature spin relaxation in n-type GaAs -: art. no. 245204

Low-temperature electron-spin relaxation is studied by the optical orientation method in bulk n-GaAs with donor concentrations from 10(14) cm(-3) to 5x10(17) cm(-3). A peculiarity related to the metal-to-insulator transition is observed in the dependence of the spin lifetime on doping near n(D)=2x10(16) cm(-3). In the metallic phase, spin relaxation is governed by the Dyakonov-Perel mechanism, while in the insulator phase it is due to anisotropic exchange interaction and hyperfine interaction.