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A simple method for evaluating elastic modulus of thin films by nanoindentation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Zhongxin Wei ,
Guoping Zhang ,
Hao Chen ,
Jian Luo ,
Ranran Liu  and
Shengmin Guo
Zhongxin Wei
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Guoping Zhang*
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Hao Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Jian Luo
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634
Ranran Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
Shengmin Guo
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mails: gzhang@lsu.edu;gzhang@alum.mit.edu
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Abstract

A simple empirical method that extracts the elastic moduli of both thin films and the underlying substrates is proposed and validated by both new nanoindentation experiments and published data. Deconvolution of thin film’s elastic properties from the substrate is achieved by statistical estimation, where a simple function relating the elastic moduli of the thin film and substrate to the film-substrate composite modulus is used to fit the experimental data plotted against the logarithmic indentation depth normalized by film thickness. Experimental data from a wide range of soft and hard films on substrate were used to demonstrate the deconvolution and validate the method. The estimated elastic moduli of thin films and substrates agree well with their corresponding standard values or values obtained by other methods. The advantages of this method are discussed, and recommendations are made on how to design experiments to obtain reliable data for this method.

Keywords

Elastic propertiesFilmNanoindentation
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , March 2009 , pp. 801 - 815
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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