Spin splitting in longitudinal carrier transport in quantum structures

The role of spin effects in electron waveguides is analyzed. It is shown that in noncentrosymmetric structures where the spin splitting is odd in the wave vector the phase velocity of the electron waves depends on the spin orientation. On the one hand this destroys the conditions for interference and degrades the characteristics of the device; but on the other hand it allows one in principle to obtain a beam of completely spin-polarized electrons from the exit.