Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation of silicon nanoparticle crystallization during laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) printing

Abstract: Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) printing is a versatile technique to realize micro/nano-scale additive manufacturing of functional materials, including metals, and semiconductors. However, the crystallization phenomena during LIFT printing have not been well understood. In this work, we attempt to gain a comprehensive understanding of silicon crystallization during LIFT printing. Specifically, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is used to investigate the size effect on the melting and crystallization of Si nanoparticles during transportation in air. We found with the decrease in nanoparticle size, crystallization becomes rare, even with a low cooling rate. The nucleation location of different particles is also analyzed and almost always starts at a sub-surface location (below 5 {\AA}). The atomic structure evolution during solidification is also monitored to provide guidance for LIFT printing of Si. Our simulation results indicate that nano-confinement can lead to single-crystal structure formation, which may shed light on single-crystal additive manufacturing.