Theoretical band structure of the superconducting antiperovskite Sr₃₋ₓ SnO

Abstract

In order to investigate the position of the strontium deficiency in superconductive Sr₃₋ₓ SnO, we synthesized and measured X-ray-diffraction patterns of Sr₃₋ₓ SnO (x ~ 0.5). Because no clear peaks originating from superstructures were observed, strontium deficiency is most likely to be randomly distributed. We also performed first-principles band-structure calculations on Sr₃₋ₓ SnO (x = 0, 0.5) using two methods: full-potential linearized-augmented plane-wave plus local orbitals method and the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green function method combined with the coherent potential approximation. We revealed that the Fermi energy of Sr₃₋ₓ SnO in case of x ~ 0.5 is about 0.8 eV below the original Fermi energy of the stoichiometric Sr₃SnO, where the mixing of the valence p and conduction d orbitals are considered to be small.