Development and Application of a Multifunctional Nanoindenter: Coupling to Electrical Measurements and Integration In-Situ in a Scanning Electron Microscope

• Main Authors: Comby-Dassonneville, S., Charlot, F., Martin, R., Roussel-Dherbey, F., Maniguet, L., Pellerin, D., Volpi, F., Boujrouf, C., Parry, G., Braccini, M., Iruela, S., Antoni-Zdziobeka, A., Champion, Y., Verdier, M.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: area monitoring; breakdown; Contacts; Electrical contact; Electrical resistance measurement; Gold; Monitoring; nanoindentation; oxide cracking; Resistance; scanning electron microscope; Scanning electron microscopy
• ISSN: 2158-9992
• DOI: 10.1109/HOLM.2019.8923946

Fundamental understanding and quantitative characterization of electron transport mechanisms between two solids brought into mechanical contact require the development of a dedicated multifunctional device. In this study, we report original measurements and analysis based on a nanoindenter coupled with fine electrical measurements in-situ a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). After a description of the experimental set-up, we report quantitative results on resistive-nanoindentation on metallic systems with increasing complexity. Starting from a model case (Au single crystal), a procedure is developed and further applied to a complex rheology structure (200 nm Au thin film plastically deformed against an elastic substrate) to demonstrate the quantitative monitoring of contact area. Then a two-phase AgPdCu alloy is used to illustrate the resolution of spatial mapping of both mechanical properties and electrical resistance. Finally, we present our experimental results on natively-oxidized Al single crystal. The resistance evolutions during indentation are discussed in terms on dielectric breakdown and electrochemical processes.