Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T17:42:32.850Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Accurate Determination of the Elastic properties of Near Surface Regions and Thin Films Using Nanoindentation and Acoustic Microscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Matthew Bamber
Affiliation:
Manchester Materials Science Centre, UMIST and the University of Manchester, Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HS, UK.
Adrian Mann
Affiliation:
Manchester Materials Science Centre, UMIST and the University of Manchester, Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HS, UK.
Brian Derby
Affiliation:
Manchester Materials Science Centre, UMIST and the University of Manchester, Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HS, UK.
Get access

Abstract

Nanoindentation has been successfully used as a mechanical properties microprobe to characterise the elastic properties of materials. However, in an isotropic material it is not possible to measure the two independent elastic constants by nanoindentation. Normally, a value of Young's modulus is determined using an assumed value for Poisson's ratio. It is also possible to use the acoustic microscope in its z-contrast mode to measure the elastic constants of a surface. This too produces a composite measurement of the elastic properties, which can be represented in terms of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. By using both techniques on the same sample area, it is possible to make two independent measurements of the elastic properties and thus determine both Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. This method has been used on well-characterised bulk materials, e.g. silica glass, to demonstrate that it produces consistent results. It has also been uused to characterise thin films of TiN/NbN multilayers. These results show that, although for thin films there is a need to improve the analysis of the mechanics, the combination of nanoindentation and acoustic microscopy shows promise.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1 Love, A. E. H., Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. Lon. A, 228, 377 (1929).Google Scholar
2 Love, A. E. H., Quart. J. Math., 10, 161 (1939).Google Scholar
3 Harding, J. W., Sneddon, I. N., Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc., 41, 16 (1945).Google Scholar
4 Sneddon, I. N., Int. J. Eng. Sci., 3, 47 (1965).Google Scholar
5 Oliver, W. C., Pharr, G. M., J. Mater. Res., 7, 1564 (1992).Google Scholar
6 Kushibiki, J-I., Chubachi, N., IEEE Trans. Sonics & Ultrasonics, SU–32, 189 (1985).Google Scholar
7 Briggs, A., Acoustic Microscopy, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2nd edn, (1992).Google Scholar
8 Buckle, H., Pub. Scientifiques et Techniques du Ministere de l'air N. T., N°90 (1960) Paris.Google Scholar
9 Lebouvier, D., Gilormini, P., Felder, E., Thin Solid Films, 172, 227 (1979).Google Scholar