Strong and tunable spin–orbit interaction in a single crystalline InSb nanosheet

Abstract

Abstract A dual-gate InSb nanosheet field-effect device is realized and is used to investigate the physical origin and the controllability of the spin–orbit interaction in a narrow bandgap semiconductor InSb nanosheet. We demonstrate that by applying a voltage over the dual gate, efficiently tuning of the spin–orbit interaction in the InSb nanosheet can be achieved. We also find the presence of an intrinsic spin–orbit interaction in the InSb nanosheet at zero dual-gate voltage and identify its physical origin as a build-in asymmetry in the device layer structure. Having a strong and controllable spin–orbit interaction in an InSb nanosheet could simplify the design and realization of spintronic deceives, spin-based quantum devices, and topological quantum devices.