  We derive boundary conditions for the electrically induced spin accumulation
in a finite, disordered 2D semiconductor channel. While for DC electric fields
these boundary conditions select spatially constant spin profiles equivalent to
a vanishing spin-Hall effect, we show that an in-plane ac electric field
results in a non-zero ac spin-Hall effect, i.e., it generates a spatially
non-uniform out-of-plane polarization even for linear intrinsic spin-orbit
interactions. Analyzing different geometries in [001] and [110]-grown quantum
wells, we find that although this out-of-plane polarization is typically
confined to within a few spin-orbit lengths from the channel edges, it is also
possible to generate spatially oscillating spin profiles which extend over the
whole channel. The latter is due to the excitation of a driven spin-helix mode
in the transverse direction of the channel. We show that while finite
frequencies suppress this mode, it can be amplified by a magnetic field tuned
to resonance with the frequency of the electric field. In this case, finite
size effects at equal strengths of Rashba- and Dresselhaus SOI lead to an
enhancement of the magnitude of this helix mode. We comment on the relation
between spin currents and boundary conditions.
