Molecular dynamics simulation of bulk silicon under strain

Abstract

In this paper, thermodynamical properties of crystalline silicon under strain are calculated using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the Tersoff interatomic potential. The Helmholtz free energy of the silicon crystal under strain is calculated by using the ensemble method developed by Frenkel and Ladd (1984). To account for quantum corrections under strain in the classical MD simulations, we propose an approach where the quantum corrections to the internal energy and the Helmholtz free energy are obtained by using the corresponding energy deviation between the classical and quantum harmonic oscillators. We calculate the variation of thermodynamic properties with temperature and strain and compare them with results obtained by using the quasi-harmonic model in the reciprocal space.