Skip to main content
Article
Molecular Simulations and Lattice Dynamics Determination of Stillinger-Weber GaN Thermal Conductivity
Journal of Applied Physics
  • Zhi Liang, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Ankit Jain
  • Alan J.H. McGaughey
  • Pawel Keblinski
Abstract

The Bulk Thermal Conductivity of Stillinger-Weber (SW) Wurtzite GaN in the [0001] Direction at a Temperature of 300 K is Calculated using Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (EMD), Non-Equilibrium MD (NEMD), and Lattice Dynamics (LD) Methods. While the NEMD Method Predicts a Thermal Conductivity of 166 ± 11 W/m·K, Both the EMD and LD Methods Predict Thermal Conductivities that Are an Order of Magnitude Greater. We Attribute the Discrepancy to Significant Contributions to Thermal Conductivity from Long-Mean Free Path Phonons. We Propose that the Grüneisen Parameter for Low-Frequency Phonons is a Good Predictor of the Severity of the Size Effects in NEMD Thermal Conductivity Prediction. for Weakly Anharmonic Crystals Characterized by Small Grüneisen Parameters, Accurate Determination of Thermal Conductivity by NEMD is Computationally Impractical. the Simulation Results Also Indicate the GaN SW Potential, Which Was Originally Developed for Studying the Atomic-Level Structure of Dislocations, is Not Suitable for Prediction of its Thermal Conductivity.

Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2023 American Institute of Physics, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
9-28-2015
Publication Date
28 Sep 2015
Citation Information
Zhi Liang, Ankit Jain, Alan J.H. McGaughey and Pawel Keblinski. "Molecular Simulations and Lattice Dynamics Determination of Stillinger-Weber GaN Thermal Conductivity" Journal of Applied Physics Vol. 118 Iss. 12 (2015) ISSN: 1089-7550; 0021-8979
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/zhi-liang/33/