A MEMS nanoindenter with an integrated AFM cantilever gripper for nanomechanical characterization of compliant materials
Open Access
- 24 July 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Nanotechnology
- Vol. 31 (30), 305502
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ab88ed
Abstract
This work presents the development of a MEMS nanoindenter that uses exchangeable AFM probes for quasi-static nanomechanical characterization of compliant and ultra-compliant materials. While the electrostatic micro-force transducer of the MEMS nanoindenter provides a maximum indentation depth up to 9.5 mu m with a maximum output force of 600 mu N, experimental investigations reveal that it can achieve a depth and force resolution better than 4 pm Hz(-1/2) and 0.3 nN Hz(-1/2), in air for f >= 1 Hz. A passive AFM probe gripper is integrated into the MEMS nanoindenter, allowing the nanoindenter to utilize various AFM probes as an indenter for material testing. A proof-of-principle experimental setup has been built to investigate the performance of the MEMS nanoindenter prototype. In proof-of-principle experiments, the prototype with a clamped diamond AFM probe successfully identified an atomic step (similar to 0.31 nm) within a Si < 111 > ultraflat sample using the scanning probe microscopy mode. The nanomechanical measurement capability of the MEMS nanoindenter prototype has been verified by means of measurements of reference polymer samples using a silicon AFM probe and by means of measurements of the elastic properties of a PDMS sample using a spherical diamond-coated AFM probe. Owing to its compact and low-cost but high-resolution capacitive readout system, this MEMS nanoindenter head can be further applied for in-situ quantitative nanomechanical measurements in AFMs and SEMs.Funding Information
- European Community's Seventh Framework Programme, ERA-NET Plus (217257)
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