Pulsed laser melting of silicon: A molecular dynamics study

We present the results of a molecular dynamics study of the pulsed laser melting of crystalline silicon. The Stillinger–Weber potential is employed for the atomic interaction. A 23 ps laser pulse of 0.2 J/cm2 is assumed to deliver 9×1013 W/g to the crystal. The energy is delivered at a constant rate over the 23 ps time interval. For the first 14 ps the temperature increases in a linear manner as functions of time. At 14 ps the crystal reaches the limit of superheating and melts over the next 4 ps interval of time. We discuss various quantities as functions of time: temperature, density, energies, and structure factors. An upper limit of 1750 K is determined for melting temperature and a value of 932 J/g for the latent heat, compared to the experimental values 1683 K and 1800 J/g, respectively.