Nanoindentation (NI)

Nanoindentation (NI) provides mechanical properties from precise compliance measurements for contacts, where a probe is pushed into a solid, while the penetration depth is recorded simultaneously with near-atomic resolution. This capability can reduce the probing volume down to an order of magnitude of 100 nm³, and which allows to use continuum mechanical contact models to extract properties like hardness and modulus for thin films and constituents of microstructures. The contact geometries and testing methods are configurable, so that mechanical characterization can be extended to e.g. brittle properties, adhesion, stress-strain, scratch, wear or structural stiffness of microstructures.

What is the use of Nanoindentation?

• • Quick assessment of wafers or thin films on wafers during quality control
  • Investigation of effects during process development (e.g. PVD, CVD) in semiconductor device fabrication
  • Simulation of contact conditions observable in practical use-cases for failure analysis
  • Mapping spatial distribution of mechanical characteristics on multi-phase materials
  • Studying deformation mechanisms (elasticity, plasticity, brittle behavior or phase-transformation)
  • Accurate assessment of structural compliance of microstructures and particles
  • Gaining highly localized insights into stress-strain relationship of a material
  • Studying adhesion properties on surface and thin film interfaces
  • Obtaining accurate mechanical property values for input into physical modeling (e.g. finite element- or analytical analysis)
  • Assessment of viscous material properties through Creep- and Relaxation testing as well dynamical mechanical analysis on the nanoscale