Coupling Ferroelectricity with Spin-Valley Physics in Oxide-Based Heterostructures

Phys Rev Lett. 2015 Jul 17;115(3):037602. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.037602. Epub 2015 Jul 16.

Abstract

The coupling of spin and valley physics is nowadays regarded as a promising route toward next-generation spintronic and valleytronic devices. In the aim of engineering functional properties for valleytronic applications, we focus on the ferroelectric heterostructure BiAlO3/BiIrO3, where the complex interplay among a trigonal crystal field, layer degrees of freedom, and spin-orbit coupling mediates a strong spin-valley coupling. Furthermore, we show that ferroelectricity provides a nonvolatile handle to manipulate and switch the emerging valley-contrasting spin polarization.