• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.301-316
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• 2013

The influence of indenter geometry on nanoindentation was studied using a static molecular dynamics simulation. Dislocation nucleation, dislocation locks, and dislocation movements during nanoindentation into Al (001) were studied. Spherical, rectangular, and Berkovich indenters were modeled to study the material behaviors and dislocation activities induced by their different shapes. We found that the elastic responses for the three cases agreed well with those predicted from elastic contact theory. Complicated stress fields were generated by the rectangular and Berkovich indenters, leading to a few uncommon nucleation and dislocation processes. The calculated mean critical resolved shear stresses for the Berkovich and rectangular indenters were lower than the theoretical strength. In the Berkovich indenter case, an amorphous region was observed directly below the indenter tip. In the rectangular indenter case, we observed that some dislocation loops nucleated on the plane. Furthermore, a prismatic loop originating from inside the material glided upward to create a mesa on the indenting surface. We observed an unusual softening phenomenon in the rectangular indenter case and proposed that heterogeneously nucleating dislocations are responsible for this.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.943-951
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• 2014

The tip geometries of the pyramidal and conical indenters used for micro/nano-indentation tests are not sharp. They are inevitably rounded because of their manufacturability and wear. In many indentation studies, the tip geometries of the pyramidal indenters are simply assumed to be spherical, and the theoretical solution for spherical indentation is simply applied to the geometry at a shallow indentation depth. This assumption, however, has two problems. First, the accuracy of the theoretical solution depends on the material properties and indenter shape. Second, the actual shapes of pyramidal indenter tips are not perfectly spherical. Hence, we consider the effects of these two problems on indentation tests via finite element analysis. We first show the relationship between the Poisson's ratio and load-displacement curve for spherical indentation, and suggest improved solutions. Then, using a possible geometry for a Berkovich indenter tip, we analyze the characteristics of the load-displacement curve with respect to the indentation depth.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.346-351
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• 2009

Due to the decrease of line width and increase of the integration level of the device, it is expected that 'Bottom-up' method will replace currently used 'Top-down' method. Researches about 'Bottom-up' device production such as Nanowires and Nanobelts are widely held on. To utilize these technologies in devices, properties of matter should be exactly measured. Nano-indenters are used to measure the properties of nano-scale structures. Additionally, Nano-indenters provide AFM(Atomic Force Microscopy) function to get the image of the surface and get physical properties for exact position of nano-structure using this image. However, nano-indenter tips have relatively much bigger size than ordinary AFM probes, there occurs considerable error in surface image by Nano-Indenter. Accordingly, this research used 50nm Berkovich tip and 1um $90^{\circ}$ Conical tip, which are commonly used in Nano-Indenter. To find out the surface characteristics for each kind of tip, we indented the surface of thin layer by each tip and compared surface image and indentation depth. Then, we got image of 100nm-size structure by surface scanning using Nano-Indenter and compared it with surface image gained by current AFM technology. We calculated the errors between two images and compared it with theoretical error.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.343-346
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• 2004

In recent years, various forms of indentation testing have been increasingly used to determine the material properties of specimens. This technique, particularly the nano-indentation method , has been extended to the testing of coating systems in order to calculate the individual properties of the thin coatings and the substrates. However, the interpretation of the test data to achieve this is complex and continues to be a widely studied subject. Based on the finite element method of coated surfaces indented by a Berkovich diamond tip, this paper describes methods for combining FEM and experimental indentation testing to determine coating modulus and hardness independent of substrate effects. Using this proposed methodology, testing and FEM to measure coefficients of friction of sheet steel for outer panel were studied.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.145-152
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• 2004

Depth-sensing indentation is wifely used for evaluation of mechanical properties of thin films. It is generally accepted that the most significant source of uncertainty in nanoindentation measurement is the geometry of the indenter tip. Therefore the successful application of the technique requires accurate calibration of the indenter tip geometry. The direct measurement of geometry of a Berkovich indenter was determined using a atomic force microscope. The indentation geometrical calibration of contact area was performed by analyzing the indenter tip profile. The equations of area functions were proposed for nanoscale thin films..

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.24-31
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• 2004

The objective of this work is to suggest a mastless pattern fabrication technique using the combination of machining by Nanoindenter(equation omitted) XP and HF wet etching. Sample line patterns were machined on a borosilicate surface by constant load scratch (CLS) of the Nanoindenter(equation omitted) XP with a Berkovich diamond tip, and they were etched in HF solution to investigate chemical characteristics of the machined borosilicate surface. All morphological data of scratch traces were scanned using atomic force microscope (AFM).

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.139-146
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• 2004

In this study, to achieve the optimal conditions for mechanical hyper-fine pattern fabrication process, deformation behavior of the materials during indentation scratch test was studied with numerical method by ABAQUS S/W. Brittle materials (Si, Pyrex glass 7740) were used as specimens, and forming conditions to reduce the elastic recovery and pile-up were proposed. The indenter was modeled as a rigid surface. Minimum mesh sizes of specimens are 1-l0nm. Variables of the nanoindentation scratch test analysis are scratching speed, scratching load, tip radius and tip geometry. The nano-indentation scratch tests were performed by using the Berkovich pyramidal diamond indenter. Comparison between the experimental data and numerical result demonstrated that the FEM approach can be a good model of the nanoindentation scratch test. The result of the investigation will be applied to the fabrication of the hyper-fine pattern.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2008

Instrumented sharp indentation test is a well-directed method to measure hardness and elastic modulus. The sharp indenter such as Berkovich and conical indenters have a geometrical self-similarity in theory, but the self-similarity ceases to work in practice due to inevitable indenter tip-blunting. In this study we analyzed the load-depth curves of conical indenter with finite tip-radius via finite element method. Using the numerical regression data obtained from Kick's law, we first confirmed that loading curvature is significantly affected by tip radius as well as material properties. We then established a new method to evaluate Young's modulus, which successfully provides the value of elastic modulus with an average error of less than 2%, regardless of tip-radius and material properties of both indenter and specimen.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.372-376
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• 2009

In the modern semiconductor industry, lithography process is used to construct specific patterns. However, due to the decreasing of line width, these days, more and more researchers are interested in PMMA(Poly Methyl Methacrylate) lithography by using e-beam instead of the prior method, PR(Photoresist) lithography by using UV(Ultra-Violet). Additionally, the patterns constructed by lithography are collapsed during the process of cleansing remnants and the resistance against the breakdown of the patterns is known to be proportional to the elastic modulus of pattern-constructing materials. In this research, we measured the change of hardness and elastic modulus of PMMA film surface according to the change of time spent to soft-bake the PMMA film. During the measurement, we controlled the tip pressure from $25{\mu}N$ to $8,500{\mu}N$ having intervals that are $134.52{\mu}N$. For these measurements, we used the Triboindenter from Hysitron to gauge the hardness and elastic modulus and the tip we used was Berkovich diamond Tip.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.351-354
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• 2004

This work presents a simple and cost-effective approach for maskless fabrication of positive-tone silicon master for the replica molding of hyperfine elastomeric channel. Positive-tone silicon masters were fabricated by a maskless fabrication technique using the combination of nanoscratch by Nanoindenter ⓡ XP and XOH wet etching. Grooves were machined on a silicon surface coated with native oxide by ductile-regime nanoscratch, and they were etched in a 20 wt％ KOH solution. After the KOH etching process, positive-tone structures resulted because of the etch-mask effect of the amorphous oxide layer generated by nanoscratch. The size and shape of the positive-tone structures were controlled by varying the etching time (5, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30 min) and the normal loads (1, 5 mN) during nanoscratch. Moreover, the effects of the Berkovich tip alignment (0, 45$^{\circ}$) on the deformation behavior and etching characteristic of silicon material were investigated.