iNano^® Nano Indenter

Hardness and modulus measurements (Oliver-Pharr)

Mechanical characterisation is critical in the process and manufacture of films, including the quality of coatings in the automotive industry, as well as during process control of front-end and back-end semiconductor manufacturing.

The iNano nanoindenter is capable of measuring hardness and modulus for a wide variety of materials, from ultra-soft gels to hard coatings. The high-speed assessment of these properties enables quality control and assurance on production lines.

Thin Film Characterisation

The mechanical properties of thin films include not only hardness and modulus, but also the performance of films over time and under load, which can result in delamination, fracture, and crack propagation. The iNano nanoindenter test methods are designed to provide valuable data in the characterisation of thin film behaviour.

High speed material property maps

For many materials, including composites, the mechanical properties may vary widely from one area to the next. The iNano provides a sample stage movement of 100mm in the X and Y axes, and 25mm in the Z axis, allowing testing of a wide range of sample heights over a large sample area. The optional NanoBlitz Topography and Tomography software can quickly generate colour maps of any of the measured mechanical properties.

ISO 14577 hardness testing

The iNano nanoindenter includes a pre-written ISO 14577 Test Method that measures material hardness in compliance with the ISO 14577 standard. This test method automatically measures and reports Young’s modulus, instrumented hardness, Vickers hardness and the normalized work-of-indentation.

Polymer tan delta, storage and loss modulus

The iNano nanoindenter is capable of measuring both tan delta and the storage and loss modulus for ultra-soft materials, including viscoelastic polymers. Storage and loss modulus and tan delta are important properties of viscoelastic polymers, whose energy is stored as elastic energy and dissipated as heat. Both of these metrics measure energy dissipation in a given material.

High Temperature Nanoindentation Testing

Nanoindentation at elevated temperatures is critical to characterizing material performance under thermal stress, especially for quantifying failure mechanisms during thermomechanical processing. Varying the sample temperature during mechanical testing enables not only measurement of thermal-induced behavioural changes, but also quantification of the transition plasticity of materials that are not easily tested on the nano-scale.

Semiconductor Wafers

Semiconductor manufacturers often strive to produce thin films with high mechanical integrity, but low film flexibility can lead to cracking or delamination. Undetected defects at the substrate and epitaxial layers can also result in latent defect and crack propagation, which can lead to device failure. KLA nanoindenters can measure elastic modulus and hardness of the thinnest films, as well as fracture toughness and cracking threshold, all without artefacts from the underlying substrate. Correlating nanomechanical properties to process parameters is critical to maximise semiconductor device yield.

Semiconductor Packaging

The performance and lifetime of an electronic component can depend upon the integrity of its packaging. KLA nanoindenters allow semiconductor packaging manufacturers to assess the mechanical properties of polymer underfills, solder strain-rate sensitivity, and the strength of metallic components.

Polymers and Plastics

Polymers and plastics are used in many applications due to their time-dependent deformation properties. Whether used as vibration dampers, extrusion materials, or medical implants, polymers are often analysed via dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). In many cases, the geometries of plastic components are not suitable for traditional DMA instruments. KLA nanoindenters are able to locally target areas on a plastic component and examine frequency-dependent storage and loss moduli and loss factors regardless of the geometry of the sample. Viscoelastic creep and stress relaxation properties can also be measured with the iNano.

Ceramics and Glasses

Ceramics and glasses are important materials used in many applications for their unique optical, mechanical, and electrical properties. Traditional mechanical testing of ceramics and glasses (e.g., 4-point bending) can be time-consuming and expensive. The iNano allows for rapid characterisation of elastic modulus and hardness of small volumes of material. The scratch testing capability of nanoindenters is also well-suited to quantitatively assess the scratch resistance of optical coatings.

Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials

The mechanical properties of biomaterials and pharmaceuticals are strongly linked to performance and customer experience, respectively. The elastic modulus or stiffness of a material can be related to texture and feel. The mechanical properties of coatings are also critical to on-time drug delivery. The iNano nanoindenter provides quantitative information that supplements qualitative customer feedback.

Nanoscale Universal Testing

The iNano nanoindenter systems are capable of measuring nanoscale mechanical deformation and other nanomechanical properties. Measurement of nanoindentation, compression, tension, creep, stress relaxation, and fatigue are examples of the iNano’s versatile capabilities. Standard and custom experimental methods are supported. The dedicated scientists in the nanoindenter group at KLA are also available for consulting and experiment design.