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Nanoindentation investigation of the mechanical behaviors of nanoscale Ag/Cu multilayers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

S.P. Wen ,
R.L. Zong ,
F. Zeng ,
Y. Gao  and
F. Pan
S.P. Wen
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
R.L. Zong
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
F. Zeng
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
Y. Gao
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
F. Pan*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: panf@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
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Abstract

The microstructure, hardness, elastic modulus, and indentation creep of Ag/Cu multilayers prepared by magnetron sputtering were investigated by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoindentation. The hardness values obey the Hall–Petch relationship as the periodicity decreases to 20 nm. For multilayers with periodicity smaller than 20 nm, the Hall–Petch relationship breaks down and the hardness values saturate at about 4.6 GPa; moreover, there are shear bands formed around their indents and strain bursts occurring during the load-holding process of indentation creep. These results imply that there is a transition of the deformation mechanism in the region where the periodicity is equal to 20 nm. This transition of the deformation mechanism can be ascribed to grain-size-dependent competition between the dislocations-mediated plasticity and grain-boundary sliding-mediated plasticity.

Keywords

HardnessMicrostructureThin film
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 22 , Issue 12 , December 2007 , pp. 3423 - 3431
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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