Bound State of an Electron in a MOS Structure Due to the Spin–Orbit Interaction

Abstract

It is shown that two electrons situated in a quantum well near a metallic electrode are attracted to each other due to the Bychkov–Rashba spin–orbit interaction (SOI) and electrostatic image forces. For quite accessible values of the characteristic parameters of the system, the effective attraction due to the SOI dominates over the Coulomb repulsion, and the formation of a bielectron becomes possible. The theory of the effect is especially simple and clear in the case of a quantum wire. The binding energy of the electron pair significantly increases under the application of a gate voltage of appropriate polarity.