Unconventional hidden Rashba effects in two-dimensional InTe

Abstract Much attention has been paid to the hidden Rashba effect exhibiting an intriguing spin-layer locking phenomenon observed in two-dimensional materials with inversion symmetry. This effect provides a new possibility for manipulating Rashba spin polarization even in centrosymmetric materials. We propose a mechanism exhibiting an unconventional hidden Rashba effect showing a unique helical spin texture in which two Fermi circles in different bands have the same spin helicity exhibiting a complete spin separation in space. We demonstrate such an unconventional hidden Rashba effect by showing the unique electronic structures of two-dimensional InTe with inversion symmetry investigated by the first-principles calculations. It is found that spins in both the inner and outer bands with the one helicity are located in the top sublayer whereas spins with the other helicity are in the bottom sublayer indicating a complete spatial spin separation. Strong spin-orbit coupling and a band inversion among two pairs of spin-degenerate bands are the main origins for the unconventional hidden Rashba involving two pairs of spin-degenerate bands rather than one pair, which gets usually involved in the conventional (hidden) Rashba effects. This new type of the hidden Rashba effect observed in two-dimensional InTe would broaden our understanding of the underlying physics of spin polarization phenomena eventually leading to a potential application in future spintronics.