Phonon-induced spin relaxation of conductionelectrons in silicon crystals

Experimental works managing electrical injectionof spin polarization in n-type and p-type silicon have beenrecently carried out up to room-temperature. In spite of thesepromising experimental results, a comprehensive theoreticalframework concerning the influence of transport conditions onphonon-induced electron spin depolarization in silicon structures,in a wide range of values of lattice temperature, dopingconcentration and amplitude of external fields, is still at adeveloping stage. In order to investigate the spin transport ofconduction electrons in lightly doped n-type Si crystals, a set ofsemiclassical multiparticle Monte Carlo simulations has beencarried out. The mean spin depolarization time and length ofdrifting electrons, heated by an electric field, have beencalculated. A good agreement is found between our numericalfindings and those computed by using different theoreticalapproaches and recent experimental results obtained in spintransport devices. Our Monte Carlo outcomes, in ranges oftemperature and field amplitude yet unexplored, can be used as aguide for future experimental studies oriented towards a moreeffective optimization of room-temperature silicon-basedspintronic devices.