Elastic rebound between an indenter and a layered specimen: Part II. Using contact stiffness to help ensure reliability of nanoindentation measurements

摘要

Measurement of nanoindentation hardness and modulus relies on the determination of the projected area of the indent, A, usually done by one of two methods: (1) indirectly, based on depth of indentation and calibrated indenter shape; or (2) directly, using a microscope image. In this article we introduce a new analysis to improve the reliability and precision of nanoindentation data. The analysis examines the specimen properties from perspective of the parameter (L0C)-C-1/2 = H-1/2/E-eff + CmL0 where C is the measured unloading compliance, C-m is the machine compliance, L-0 is the load, H is the hardness, and E-eff is the specimen-indenter contact modulus, which is a function of the size of the indent, and which can be calculated based on a theoretical model. We apply this analysis to the characterization of 1-2 mu m thick molybdenum films deposited on silicon. References: 13