In-situ Correlation of Mechanical Properties, Deformation Behavior, and Electrical Characteristics of Materials Using Conductive Nanoindentation

TITLE: In-situ Correlation of Mechanical Properties, Deformation Behavior, and Electrical Characteristics of Materials Using Conductive Nanoindentation

SPEAKER: Ryan C. Major, PhD, Senior Staff Scientist, Hysitron, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

ABSTRACT
Nanomechanical testing techniques have become a popular method for quantitative, small volume mechanical property determination. Conceptually, nanoindentation is a relatively straightforward technique where an indenter probe of a well-known geometry is pushed into and withdrawn from the material’s surface while the force and displacement are continuously recorded to a high degree of accuracy and sensitivity. A new nanomechanical characterization technique, generally referred to as conductive nanoindentation, combines nanoindenter hardware with a conductive probe and a voltage/current SourceMeter® instrument to get a time- based correlation of force, displacement, voltage, and current. The nanomechanical and electrical measurements used in tandem have proven to be highly sensitive to probe/sample contact conditions, as well as material deformation behavior. This technique greatly enhances the information obtainable from nanoscale point measurements. This presentation will cover the basic conductive nanoindentation technique, along with intriguing results obtained from relatively mature materials, such as gold, silicon, and metallic glasses to more advanced materials, such as conductive polymers and conductive metal oxides (ITO).


SPEAKER BIO

Ryan C. Major, Ph.D., is a Senior Staff Scientist at Hysitron, Inc. He received his PhD in Materials Chemistry in 2003 from the University of Minnesota. His graduate research involved studying the physical and chemical properties of organic thin films. Following graduate school, he was a Post-Doctoral Associate in a joint program between Sandia National Labs-Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the University of Minnesota. He constructed an Interfacial Force Microscopy (IFM) laboratory to quantitatively study the complex interfacial forces that dominate between nano-confined surfaces. In 2005, Ryan joined Hysitron, Inc. and has continued to study the nature of materials and surface properties at the nanoscale. He is currently the lead technical developer for Hysitron’s conductive-nanoindentation platform, NanoECR™.

COMPANY INFORMATION
Hysitron, Inc.
10025 Valley View Road
Minneapolis, MN 55344 USA
Tel:  +1 952-835-6366
Fax: +1 952-835-6166
Email: info@hysitron.com
Web: www.hysitron.com

Hysitron was founded in 1992 as a research facility committed to the development of three-axis positioning transducer technology. Out of this has grown a new level of performance in mechanical property testing at nanoscale, with other new instruments based on this technology still in research.

A successful US Army SBIR phase I and II project partially founded the Hysitron transducer into Nanoindentation with in-situ imaging. Further advances in transducer repeatability and resolution, and broader application of use, propelled the commercialization of the nanoindentation product line in 1995.

Currently employing more than 60 people, Hysitron has established its leadership position with a strong scientific support group, dedicated customer service and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Hysitron’s family of nanomechanical test instruments includes the TriboIndenter® comprehensive test system, TriboScope® interfaced to commercial AFMs, the Ubi 1®, a dedicated scanning nanoindenter, nanoECR™ for simultaneous electrical measurements, the nanoTensile™ 5000, and the TEM PicoIndenter®. All Hysitron indentation instruments offer proprietary SPM imaging, allowing pre- and post-test in-situ imaging. Advanced features such as quantitative stiffness mapping of modulus (modulus mapping), dynamic testing (nanoDMA®), and acoustic emission monitoring during nanoindentation are available.



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