We show how the quantum Hall effect in an inverted-gap semiconductor (with electronlike and holelike states at the conduction- and valence-band edges interchanged) can be used to inject, precess, and detect the electron spin along a one-dimensional pathway. The restriction of the electron motion to a single spatial dimension ensures that all electrons experience the same amount of precession in a parallel magnetic field, so that the full electrical current can be switched on and off. As an example, we calculate the magnetoconductance of a $p\text{−}n$ interface in a HgTe quantum well and show how it can be used to measure the spin precession due to bulk inversion asymmetry.

• Received 27 October 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.195320