Inversion-asymmetry splitting of the conduction band in InSb

The Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect was used to study the strain dependence of the inversion-asymmetry splitting of the conduction band in InSb. This splitting is small and hence has been difficult to observe by any technique other than the one presented in this paper. At zero stress, studies in InSb have shown no indication of beating effects in the SdH oscillations. With the application of uniaxial stress, however, stress-induced beating effects appear in the SdH oscillations. These beating effects, which depend on the magnetic field direction and the electron concentration, are shown to be caused by the stress-induced band splitting. The strain theory developed by Bir and Pikus, along with a simple, classical beating-effects model, enables the evaluation of the band-splitting parameter $\left|B_3\right|=3.3\left(\frac{{\hslash }^2}{2m_0}\right)$ and the deformation potential $\left|C_2\right|=2.0\mathrm{}$ eV.