Molecular dynamics study of interactions between noncontact copper and silicon nano-films with lateral movement

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate interactions between nano-gapped copper and silicon nano-films with lateral relative movement. Effects of gap distance, lateral displacement, temperature and surface morphology on the interaction strength and properties are studied. Results show that the interaction strength decreases as the distance varies from 20 to 3 Å and can be significantly influenced by the temperature. The interaction is strong and repulsive at 800 K, but it turns into attractive when the temperature drops down to 10 K. The interaction strength between smooth surfaces is weaker than that between rough surfaces, and the properties are also different for surfaces with different roughness. Additionally, the interaction strength between grooved film surfaces displays dependence on the relative displacement orientation.

► Dynamics simulations on interactions of spaced nano-films have been carried out.
► Effects of lateral displacement can be ignored.
► Temperature is the primary factor that influences the interaction of the two films.
► Not only surface roughness but the relative orientation can affect the interaction.