Multiscale Green’s-function method for modeling point defects and extended defects in anisotropic solids: Application to a vacancy and free surface in copper

Abstract

The elastic response of a vacancy in a semi-infinite fcc copper lattice containing a free surface is calculated by using a new multiscale Green's function method. The method treats the lattice distortion near the vacancy at the atomistic level and the free surface at the macroscopic continuum level in the same formalism. The lattice is modeled using the lattice statics Green's function that fully accounts for the discrete atomistic structure of the lattice and can model a large crystallite containing a million atoms without excessive CPU effort. The method is especially useful for modeling the elastic response of nanocrystals containing point defects in which surfaces and interfaces play important roles. The method bridges the length scales seamlessly by relating the microscopic lattice distortion near a point defect to measurable macroscopic parameters of the solid such as the strain and the displacement field at a free surface. Using the interatomic potential derived by Cleri and Rosato, the lattice distortion, relaxation energy, and relaxation volume due to a vacancy are calculated in an otherwise perfect copper lattice for a million-atom model containing a free (100) surface. The calculated value of the relaxation volume is in excellent agreement with the observed value. Numerical results are also presented for the strain and the displacement fields at the free surface due to a vacancy and the interaction energy between a vacancy and the free surface in anisotropic semi-infinite copper.