Polarization-induced Rashba spin-orbit coupling in structurally symmetric III-nitride quantum wells

The effective linear coupling coefficient and the total spin splitting are calculated in Ga- and N-face InGaN quantum wells. The sign of structural inversion asymmetry spin-orbit coupling coefficient depends on an internal electric field in the well that results in different signs for Ga-face and N-face III-nitride structures. The effective linear coupling coefficient is always positive because of the Dresselhaus-type contribution that is a major one in quantum wells under consideration. The magnitude of the spin splitting is comparable with that experimentally observed in III-nitrides and III-V zinc-blende structures. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.