Interferometric detection of spin-polarized transport in the depletion layer of a metal-GaAs Schottky barrier

It is shown that the Kerr rotation of spin-polarized electrons is modulated by the distance of the electrons from the sample surface. Time-resolved Kerr rotation of optically-excited spin-polarized electrons in the depletion layer of n-doped GaAs displays fast oscillations that originate from an interference between the light reflected from the semiconductor surface and from the front of the electron distribution moving into the semiconductor. Using this effect, the dynamics of the photogenerated charge carriers in the depletion layer of the biased Schottky barrier is measured.