Effect of conduction band nonprabolicity on the Rashba spin splitting of AlGaN/GaN QWs

By using the perturbation expansion method and self-consistent iterative method, we evaluate the effect of the conduction band nonprabolicity on the wave vector (k_t) dependent Rashba coefficient (α) and nonlinear Rashba spin splitting (ΔE) in the Al_0.5Ga_0.5N/GaN quantum well (QW). The effective mass (energy) under the first order approximation m_t1 (E_k1) is in proximity to the iterative result m_tp (E_kp) and m_t1>m_tp, E_k1<E_kp, showing the higher order contributions to m_t (E_k) are small. The sign of the nonparabolic correction to E_k is just opposite to that of the correction to m_t. The increase of α and ΔE due to the conduction band nonparabolicity reaches about 3% at k_t=1 nm⁻¹. Around the left heterointerface, the probability density is high and E_k0>E_kp>E_k1, so α₀<α_p<α₁, ΔE₀<ΔE_p<ΔE₁. With increasing k_t, α decreases, and ΔE increases slowly. For small k_t, α₀ (ΔE₀), α₁ (ΔE₁) and α_p (ΔE_p) are nearly the same. While for large k_t, the difference between α₀ and α₁ (α_p) increases rapidly, but the difference between ΔE₀ and ΔE₁ (ΔE_p) increases slowly.