Theoretical investigation of the structural, magnetic and band structure characteristics of Co2FeGe1-x Si x (x=0, 0.5, 1) full-Heusler alloys

In this study, the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of the Co2FeGe1-x Si (x) (x = 0, 0.5, 1) Heusler compounds have been calculated using the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method based on the spin density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof. In order to take into account the correlation effects, we have also performed GGA + U calculations, where the Hubbard on-site Coulomb interaction correction U is calculated by using the constraint local density approximation for the Co and the Mn atoms. The Cu2MnAl-type structure is found to be energetically more favorable than the Hg(2)CuTitype structure for both the Co2FeSi and the Co2FeGe compounds. The calculated atomic resolved densities of states of Co2FeSi and Co2FeGe indicate nearly half-metallic behaviors with small spindown electronic densities of states at the Fermi level. This behavior is corrected by including the Hubbard Coulomb energy U term. The Coulomb exchange correlation U confirms the halfmetallic property in both the Co2FeSi and the Co2FeGe compounds. We also discuss the electronic structures, the total and the partial densities of states, and the local magnetic moments. The Co2FeGe0.5Si0.5 compound shows a nearly half-metallic behavior with a small spin-down electronic density of states at the Fermi level in both the GGA and GGA+U approximations.