Monte Carlo Simulation of Spin-Polarized Transport

Monte Carlo simulations are performed to study the in-plane transport of spin-polarized electrons in III-V semiconductor quantum wells. The density matrix description of the spin polarization is incorporated in the simulation algorithm. The spin-orbit interaction terms generate coherent evolution of the electron spin polarization and also cause dephasing. The spatial motion of the electrons is treated semiclassically. Three different scattering mechanisms--optical phonons, acoustic phonons and ionized impurities--are considered. The electric field is calculated self-consistently from the charge distribution. The Monte Carlo scheme is described, and simulation results are reported for temperatures in the range 77-300 K.