A diamond probe indents into a sample, the applied load and the resulting indentation displacement are measured. From the load displacement curves, the mechanical properties such as indentation hardness, indentation modulus and indentation creep can be derived.
For the investigation of thin films, the maximum indentation depth can be limited to 10 nm.
A mechanical scanning of the probe allows the evaluation of surface topography and by means of scratch tests the adhesive strength and the intrinsic layer tension can be determined.
Indentation curve for measuring the mechanical properties of an electroplated zinc layer (large image)
| Instrument | NanoIndenter XP System (MTS) |
|---|---|
| Probe | Berkovich-, Vickers-, cube corner or cone indenter |
| Force range / resolution | 10 mN ± 1 nN (DCM-Head) und 500 mN ± 50 nN (XP-Head) |
| Depth range / resolution | Depending on material up to some µm / ± 0,2 nm (DCM-Head) und ± 10 nm (XP-Head) |
| Sample size | Up to 30 mm x 30 mm x 30 mm; for thin samples < 5 mm up to 70 mm x 70 mm |
Division 6.7 | Testing devices of the BAM
Dr. rer. nat.
