NanoFlip® Nano Indenter
High accuracy, high speed nano indentation in-situ in vacuum environments. Perform nanomechanical testing inside a SEM chamber, and synchronise SEM imaging with mechanical property data. Custom experiments can be easily configured. The suite of options available, such as the InForce50 electromagnetic actuator, combine to deliver quantitative results that lead to valuable solutions in material research.
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. The enable evolution and innovation in the data era across key industries including automotive, mobile and data center.

Key Features
- InForce 50 actuator for capacitance displacement measurement and electromagnetic force actuation with interchangeable tips
- InQuest high-speed controller electronics with 100kHz data acquisition rate and 20µs time constant
- XYZ motion system for sample targeting
- SEM video capture for synchronized 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

Flexible In-Situ Nano Indentation
The KLA NanoFlip is a flexible and expandable platform for performing nanomechanical testing in-situ with a variety of imaging instruments. The NanoFlip’s sample stage features a “flip” mechanism, which rotates the sample, allowing for direct imaging of the surface, or indentation of the surface. When indenting, the indenter and surface remain visible, allowing for indenter and sample interactions to be viewed in real time.
The NanoFlip can be used in-situ inside a wide range of imaging instruments. Optical profilers and optical microscopes, SEM and FIB systems, AFM systems, Raman Spectroscopy, and other instruments are all supported. The NanoFlip can also be used standalone inside a glove box or vacuum chamber for sensitive samples requiring a controlled environment.

Simplified Operation with Synchronised Imaging
KLA are making nanomechanical testing simple and easy with the InView software package. InView provides a modern and flexible interface for interacting with nano indentation systems. A guided setup is provided, which allows even novice users to configure mechanical tests in under a minute. A wide range of mechanical test methods are included out of the box. Custom test protocols can also be configured.
InView allows imaging to be synchronised with mechanical test data in real time. Live imaging from a SEM or other instrument is displayed side by side with testing data as it is recorded. This provide greater level of insight into the interactions of the indentation tip and sample material.

A Complete Range of Mechanical Tests
To suit the widest range of applications, the NanoFlip platform is capable of a multitude of mechanical test types. The NanoFlip can perform hardness and modulus testing (Oliver-Pharr) on many materials, including very soft samples. ISO 14577 hardness testing is included as standard. For material characterisation, scratch and wear testing is also possible, and supports many materials, including thin films, brittle ceramics, and polymers.
A variety of advanced testing modes are also available. These include Continuous Stiffness Measurement (CSM), AccuFilm™ thin film measurement with substate-independence, and ProbeDMA™ for testing viscoelastic properties of polymers.

Designed for Accuracy & Efficiency
The NanoFlip is a quick and accurate solution for in-situ nano indentation. The InForce actuators developed by KLA use electromagnetic force actuation and capacitance displacement technology. By decoupling the force actuation and displacement measurement, it is possible to independently optimise them and maximise performance. KLA’s InForce actuators have a high stiffness and maximised vertical stability, and offer the highest calibration stability available.
The NanoFlip’s stage has a high frame stiffness, concentrating deformation in the sample, and thus improving accuracy and resolution. High precision linear optical encoders on the sample stage allow for precise sample targeting.

Map Nanomechanical Properties with NanoBlitz 3D & NanoBlitz 4D
NanoBlitz 3D creates 3D nanomechanical property maps. Utilising the NanoFlip’s high-precision XY stage, NanoBlitz 3D generates an array of up to 100,000 indents on an area of a sample. For each indent Young’s modulus, hardness, and stiffness values are recorded. A 3D mechanical property map can then be created, providing a visualisation of surface mechanical properties. NanoBlitz 3D is fast, performing stage movement and indentation in less than a second for each indent.
By combining the 3D concept with the NanoFlip’s Continuous Stiffness Measurement (CSM) capability, NanoBlitz 4D provides mechanical property tomography. An array of up to 10,000 indents are performed, at 5 to 10 seconds per indent, recording Young’s modulus, hardness, and stiffness values for each as function of depth. Property maps can then be visualised at different depths.
Shown Left: NanoBlitz 3D image showing stiffness mapping
Shown Right: NanoBlitz 4D mapping at two different depths
Product range
NanoFlip® Nano Indenter
InSEM® HT Nano Indenter
Applications
- Hardness and modulus measurements (Oliver-Pharr)
- Continuous stiffness measurement
- High speed material property maps
- ISO 14577 hardness testing
- Nano Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA)
- Quantitative scratch and wear testing

Industries
- Universities, research labs and institutes
- Pillar and microsphere manufacturing
- MEMS: Micro-electro-mechanical systems
- Materials manufacturing (structure compression/tensile/fracture testing)
- Battery and component manufacturing
Downloads

Strain Rate Sensitivity of Thin Metal Films by Instrumented Indentation
Strain Rate Sensitivity of Thin Metal Films by Instrumented IndentationDo you want to find out more about KLA’s NanoFlip in-situ nano indenter? Contact the CN Tech team to day to find out more. Our technical specialists would be happy to discuss your in-situ nanomechanical testing needs, and help you find the perfect solution. Contact us today!