Observation of spin precession in GaAs inversion layers using antilocalization

Nearly-zero-field magnetoconductance measurements have been used to deduce the conduction-band spin splitting of GaAs. The dominant spin-scattering mechanism is the randomization of spin precession due to elastic scattering. By independently controlling electron density and mobility, it is observed that the crystal-field-induced spin splitting is the cause of the spin-orbit scattering. This technique is used to infer the band-structure splitting parameter, a₄₂=26.1±{}0.9 eV A³.