Molecular dynamic simulation of binary ZrxCu100−x metallic glass thin film growth

In this work, we employed classical molecular dynamics simulations model to study ZrxCu100−x (3 ≤ x ≤ 95) metallic glass films deposited on a silicon (1 0 0) substrate. Input data were chosen to fit with the experimental operating conditions of a magnetron sputtering deposition system. The growth evolution is monitored with variable compositions of the incoming atom vapor. The Zr-Zr, Cu-Cu and Zr-Cu interactions are modeled with the Embedded Atom Method (EAM), the Si-Si interaction with Tersoff potential, the Zr-Si and Cu-Si interactions with Lennard-Jones (12-6) potential. Different film morphology and structure were detected and analyzed when the Zr to Cu ratio is varied. The results are compared with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses of experimentally deposited thin films by magnetron sputter deposition process. Both simulation and experiment results show that the structure of the ZrxCu100−x film varies from crystalline to amorphous depending on the elemental composition.