InSEM® HT Nano Indenter
High temperature nanomechanical testing up to 800°C, with independent heating of both the tip and sample which maximises accuracy and flexibility. Designed for use in-situ in a SEM chamber, the InSEM® HT can synchronise mechanical test data with SEM imaging. The combination of wide temperature range capability and low cost of ownership makes the InSEM ®HT a valuable tool in materials development research programs.
Manufacturer
KLA
A global technology leader who make an impact by creating solutions that drive progress and transform industries. Collaboration is the key to their success. KLA provide leading-edge technology and devices using advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, and computational analytics. Their solutions accelerate tomorrow’s electronic devices. They enable evolution and innovation in the data era across key industries including automotive, mobile and data centre.
Nano Indenters
Key Features
- InForce 50 actuator with tip heating for capacitance displacement measurement and electromagnetic force actuation with interchangeable tips
- Sample heating up to 800 °C with 10mm sample-size and vacuum-compatible sample mounting system
- InQuest high speed controller electronics with 100kHz data acquisition rate and 20µs time constant
- XYZ motion system for sample targeting
- SEM video capture for synchronised SEM images with test data
- Unique software-integrated tip-calibration system for fast, accurate tip calibration
- InView control and data review software with Windows ® 10 compatibility and method developer for user-designed experiments
High Temperature In-Situ Nano Indentation
KLA’s InSEM® HT nano indenter provides high temperature nanomechanical testing capabilities for use in-situ inside imaging equipment. The InSEM® HT can perform nanomechanical tests at temperatures of up to 800°C in vacuum environments. Independent tip and complete sample heating is used to provide maximum flexibility and accuracy. The complete surface of a sample is heating to maximum temperature, maximising test are and eliminating thermal gradients. Real-world use had demonstrated the InSEM® HT’s results compare well to conventional macro-scale high temperature testing.
In-situ testing can be performed inside the chambers of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) instruments from a range of manufacturers., and inside standalone vacuum chambers.
Synchronise Imaging & Mechanical Testing Data
To provide a nano indentation solution that is both simple and powerful, KLA have developed the InView software package. InView provides an elegant software interface, with both flexibility and ease of use. Guided test setups allow users of all experience levels to quickly configure effective mechanical tests. A comprehensive range of tests are available out of the box, with configuration options for custom test protocols also included.
InView provides the ability to synchronise live imaging and mechanical testing data. Real time images from a SEM or other imaging instrument are displayed together with incoming test data, which can also be recorded for later analysis. With InView, it is possible to gain a greater level of insight into tip and surface interactions.
Comprehensive Mechanical Testing Capabilities
To provide the flexibility to suit the widest range of testing applications, KLA’s InSEM® HT is capable of performing an array of different mechanical tests at high temperatures. Hardness and modulus testing (Oliver-Pharr) is fully supported for many materials, including soft surfaces. ISO 14577 hardness testing is included as standard.
The InSEM® HT can also perform high temperature creep measurement and strain rate sensitivity tests, at temperatures up to 800°C. This helps to provide the greatest understanding of the effect of combined mechanical and thermal stressors on materials.
Accurate & Efficient Design
KLA have designed the InSEM® HT to provide fast and accurate nanomechanical testing. KLA’s InForce actuators are based up electromagnetic force actuation and capacitance displacement technology. In an InForce actuator, force actuation and displacement measurement have been decoupled. This allows for actuation and measurement to be independently optimised, maximising accuracy and performance. The InForce actuators also have high stiffness and vertical stability, and offer the best calibration stability available.
The InSEM® HT stage features a high frame stiffness, which concentrates deformation in the sample, improving accuracy and resolution. High precision linear optical encoders on the sample stage allow for precise sample targeting.
Industries
- Universities, research labs and institutes
- Aerospace
- Automotive manufacturing
- Hard coatings
- Nuclear energy
- Military/defense
Applications
Hardness and modulus measurements (Oliver-Pharr)
Mechanical characterisation is critical in the research and development of new materials. The InSEM HT nanoindenter measures hardness for a variety of materials, especially to monitor changes in mechanical properties under thermal stress.
Continuous stiffness measurement
Continuous stiffness measurement is used to quantify dynamic material properties, such as strain rate and frequency-induced effects. The InSEM HT nanoindenter provides dynamic excitation from 0.1Hz to 1kHz, allowing time-based monitoring for accurate determination of initial surface contact and continuous measurement of contact stiffness as a function of depth or frequency.
High speed material property maps
For composite materials, the mechanical properties may vary widely from one area to the next. InSEM HT provides a sample stage movement of 20mm in the X and Y axes, and 25mm in the Z axis, allowing testing of a wide range of sample heights over a sample area. The optional NanoBlitz Topography and Tomography software can quickly generate colour maps of any of the measured mechanical properties.
High temperature testing
Materials research in many industry areas focuses on performance not only under mechanical stresses, but thermal stresses as well. The InSEM HT high temperature nanoindentation system is designed specifically for next-generation materials testing in advanced technology applications, such as aerospace, automotive, and military/defence.
Creep measurement
Materials undergo deformation due to applied load as well as elevated temperatures. Creep is the measurement of strain over time as a result of combined mechanical and thermal stressors, and creep behaviour is critical for effective design of automotive and aerospace systems. The InSEM HT high temperature nanoindentation system allows temperature elevation up to 800°C, while simultaneously monitoring material strain.
Strain rate sensitivity
Strain rate sensitivity enables the quantification of strain as a function of various loading conditions. For example, applying mechanical and/or thermal stress to a material over a short period of time may yield different strain results than if the sample was subjected to the stresses more slowly. The InSEM HT high temperature nanoindentation system allows customisation of user experiments to measure the strain sensitivity as a function of loading conditions up to 800°C.
Downloads
InSEM® HT (High Temperature) Nanoindenter Brochure
CSM and DCM-Express Nanoindentation Mapping On Lithium/Polymer Battery Composites
How Much Indentation Testing is Enough?
ISO 14577 Standardised Nanoindentation
Hardness Mapping of 3D Printed Aluminium
Continuous Stiffness Measurement (CSM)
Young’s Modulus of Glass Microspheres
The Importance of Nanomechanical Properties to Battery Materials Performance
Testing of a MEMS-based IC Probe with the Nano Indenter® G200 and NanoSuite Explorer
Microscopic Measurement of the Stress-Strain Relation for Commercially Pure Titanium
Impact Hardness: Nanoindentation, High Strain Rate and High-Speed Data Acquisition using DataBurst Technology
Film Delamination: Combining Nanoindentation and Imaging for Detecting Critical Delamination Load and Interface Adhesion Energy
High Speed Nanoindentation Mapping on Thermal Barrier Coatings
Nanoindentation of Physical Vapor Deposition Hard Coatings at Elevated Temperatures
Optical Coating Characterisation at Elevated Temperatures
Tracking Temperature-induced Nano-structural Changes of Concrete by High-temperature Nanoindentation
Nanoindenter Tips Application Note
A Critical Assessment of the Effect of Indentation Spacing on the Measurement of Hardness and Modulus
Effect of Annealing on 50nm Gold Films
Instrumented Indentation Testing with the KLA Nano Indenter® systems
Critical Assessment of High Speed Nanoindentation Mapping Technique and Data Deconvolution
Brittle-to-Ductile Plasticity Transition Behavior Study of Silicon using High- Temperature Nanoindentation
High Temperature Nanoindentation Creep Measurements of Al1100
Options
Continuous Stiffness Measurement (CSM)
The CSM technique involves oscillating the probe during indentation to measure properties as a function of depth, force, time, or frequency. The option comes with a constant strain rate experiment that measures hardness and modulus as a function of depth or load, which is the most common test method used across academia and industry. CSM is also used for other advanced options, including the ProbeDMA™ method for storage and loss modulus measurements and AccuFilm™ substrate-independent measurements. The CSM is integrated into the InQuest controller and InView software to deliver unparalleled ease of use and data quality.
InForce 50 Actuator
The InForce 50 actuator performs nanomechanical tests with forces up to 50mN. The patented electromagnetic force application ensures robust measurements and long-term force and displacement stability. Industry-leading mechanical design ensures one-degree of freedom harmonic motion so that force and displacement are controlled along a single axis. The tips are interchangeable with the entire line of InForce and Gemini actuators. The InForce 50 actuator is compatible with the CSM, NanoBlitz, ProbeDMA ™, biomaterials, sample heating, scratch, wear and ISO 14577 testing options.
InForce 1000 Actuator
The InForce 1000 actuator performs nanomechanical tests with forces up to 1000mN. The patented electromagnetic force application ensures robust measurements and long-term force and displacement stability. Industry-leading mechanical design ensures one-degree of freedom harmonic motion so that force and displacement are controlled along a single axis. The tips are interchangeable with the entire line of InForce and Gemini actuators. The InForce 1000 actuator is compatible with the CSM, NanoBlitz, sample heating, scratch, wear and ISO 14577 testing options.
NanoBlitz 3D
NanoBlitz 4D utilizes the InForce 50 Actuator to generate 4D maps of measurements for both low-E/H and high-E (>3GPa) materials with a Berkovich tip. NanoBlitz performs indents at 5-10s per indent, up to 10,000 indents (30×30 array), and provides Young’s modulus, hardness, stiffness as a function of depth for each indent in the array. NanoBlitz 4D utilizes a constant strain rate method, and also provides visualization software and data handling capabilities.
AccuFilm™ Thin Film Method Pack
The AccuFilm™ Thin Film Method Pack is an InView test method based on the Hay-Crawford model for measuring substrate-independent material properties using Continuous Stiffness Measurement (CSM). AccuFilm™ corrects for substrate influence on film measurements for hard films on soft substrates as well as soft films on hard substrates.
DataBurst
DataBurst enables systems equipped with InView software and the InQuest controller to record displacement data at rates >1kHz for measuring high strain step loads, pop-in and other high speed events. NanoFlip systems outfitted with the User Method Development option can also modify methods to work with DataBurst.
User Method Development for InView Control Software
InView offers an extremely powerful and intuitive experiment-scripting platform that can be used for designing novel or complex experiments. Experienced users can set up and perform virtually any small-scale mechanical test with the NanoFlip. KLA exclusively offers this capability.
Indenter Tips and Calibration Samples
A wide variety of sharp indenters are available, such as Berkovich, cube corner and Vickers, as well as flat punches, sphere punches, and other geometries. Standard reference materials and calibration standards are also available for the entire product line.
Related Products
Service Support
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Your metrology instrumentation is a major investment that is critical to your business operation and success. In today’s competitive climate, it is more important than ever to extend the functionality and peak performance of your metrology equipment years beyond the expiration of your factory warranty. CN Tech’s Support Programs will help ensure that your investment is protected, and that you and your instrument’s are always operating at peak performance.
With over 20 years’ experience servicing and repairing you can be assured that your system is in safe hands. The independent services we offer include system relocation, maintenance visits, parts and consumables, and break down interventions.
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- Annual Preventive Maintenance
- Priority Technical Assistance
- Preferred Parts Availability
- On-Site User Training
- Remote Diagnostics
- No surprise repair expense and much more!
Support Contact Example
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Metrology & Instrumentation Annual Support Programs 2024/25
CN Tech's Support Programs will help ensure that your investment is protected, and that you and your instrument’s are always operating at peak performance.