Schottky-barrier-induced spin relaxation in spin injection

An ensemble Monte Carlo method is used to study the spin injection through a ferromagnet-semiconductor junction where a Schottky barrier is formed. It is shown that the Schottky-barrier-induced electric field, which is confined in the depletion region and is parallel to the injection direction, is very large. This electric field can induce an effective magnetic field due to the Rashba effect and cause strong spin relaxation.