Weak antilocalization in a strained InGaAs/InP quantum well structure

Abstract Weak antilocalization (WAL) effect due to the interference corrections to the conductivity has been studied experimentally in a strained InGaAs/InP quantum well structure. From measurements in tilted magnetic filed, it was shown that both weak localization and WAL features depend only on the normal component of the magnetic field. Weak antilocalization effect showed non-monotonous dependence on the gate voltage which could not be explained by either Rashba or Dresselhouse mechanisms of the spin–orbit coupling. To describe magnetic field dependence of the conductivity, it was necessary to assume that spin–orbit scattering time depends on the external magnetic field which quenches the spin precession around effective, spin–orbit related, magnetic fields.