A Dynamic Method of Nanoindentation

Resumo

A new dynamic method of measuring the local value of hardness and contact stiffness at the nanoscale range using a probe in self-oscillation mode at resonant eigenfrequency is proposed. The possibility is shown of measuring the force of contact interaction of a probe with a sample in a range from ten to several hundred μN with shift of the probe’s resonant eigenfrequency, at a resolution up to one hundred nN. The advantage of this method is the absence of a drift component of the measuring signal during the time interval of a test cycle. This ensures operability of the method without special conditions of vibration insulation and thermal insulation that are necessary for instrumental indentation.