%0 Journal Article
%K carbon dioxide
%K Manganese
%K X ray diffraction
%K Spin polarization
%K Cobalt
%K Spin dynamics
%K Germanium
%K Heusler
%K Anomalous X-ray diffraction
%K Antisite disorder
%K Atomic disorder
%K Band theory
%K Conduction electrons
%K Half metallic ferromagnets
%K Half metals
%K Heusler alloys
%K High precision
%K Spin state
%K Structural defect
%K Sub-lattices
%A B Ravel
%A J.O Cross
%A M.P Raphael
%A V.G Harris
%A Ramamoorthy Ramesh
%A L.V Saraf
%B Applied Physics Letters
%D 2002
%G eng
%P 2812-2814
%R 10.1063/1.1513216
%T Atomic disorder in Heusler Co 2MnGe measured by anomalous x-ray diffraction
%V 81
%X Heusler alloys Co 2MnX, where X is Ge or Si, are predicted by the band theory to be a half-metallic ferromagnets, i.e., metals with all conduction electrons of the same spin state. To date, Heusler alloys have been measured with spin polarizations of 50%-60%, higher than Fe (∼40%), but not a true half metal. Structural defects involving site swapping between the Co and Mn sublattices have been proposed as a mechanism to diminish spin polarization. In this work, we present an anomalous x-ray diffraction measurement on Co 2MnGe to determine antisite disorder in thin films with a high precision. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.