ABSTRACT

We have developed a theory of the negative magnetoresistance due to the weak localization in uniaxial wurtzite-type crystals, in which the spin splitting of the conduction band is linear in the wave vector, unlike the cubic A3B5 crystals. Unlike earlier theories, we take into account the correlation between the electron motion in spin and co-ordinate spaces. It, is shown that as a result of this correlation the magnetoresistance depends on the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the main axis of the crystal even if the effective mass is isotropic. The new theory allows to accurately determine the value of the spin splitting constant in uniaxial crystals.