Spin-polarization induced by Rashba spin–orbit coupling in three-terminal devices

We numerically investigate the spin polarization of the current induced by Rashba spin–orbit coupling in three-terminal mesoscopic devices in two dimensional electron system (2DES). The spin-dependent transmission probabilities are calculated by the recursive Green function method. It is found that generally high spin polarization can be obtained at certain resonant energies. In the case of strong spin–orbit coupling, the effect of the spin on the motion of an electron is not negligible. A propagating electron is deflected due to the Lorentz force by spin–orbit induced effective magnetic field.