The iMicro features the InForce 1000 actuator for performing nanoindentation and universal nanomechanical tests, and can optionally add the InForce 50 actuator to test softer materials. The InView software is a flexible, modern software package that makes nanoscale testing easy. The iMicro is a compact platform with the high-speed InQuest controller and vibration isolation gantry built in to the enclosure. An extensive range of materials and devices can be tested, including metals, ceramics, composites, thin films, coatings, polymers, biomaterials and gels.
Features
- InForce 1000 actuator for capacitance displacement measurement and electromagnetic force actuation with interchangeable tips
- Optional InForce 50 actuator provide maximum 50mN normal force for measuring soft materials, and optional Gemini 2D force transducer for two-axis dynamic measurement. Unique software-integrated tip-calibration system for fast, accurate tip calibration
- InQuest high-speed controller electronics with 100kHz data acquisition rate and 20µs time constant
- XY motion system with easy mounting magnetic sample holder
- High stiffness gantry with integrated vibration isolation
- Integrated microscope with digital zoom for precise indentation targeting
- ISO 14577 and standardized test methods
- InView software package with RunTest, ReviewData, InFocus reporting, InView University online training and InView mobile application
Applications
- Hardness and modulus measurements (Oliver-Pharr)
- High speed material property maps
- ISO 14577 hardness testing
- Polymer tan delta, storage and loss modulus
- Quantitative scratch and wear testing
- High Temperature Nanoindentation Testing
Hardness and
Modulus Measurements (Oliver-Pharr)
Mechanical
characterization is critical in the process and manufacture of films, including
the quality of coatings in the automotive industry, as well as during process
control of front-end and back-end semiconductor manufacturing.
The
iMicro nanoindenter is capable of measuring hardness and modulus for a wide
variety of materials, from ultra-soft gels to hard coatings. The high speed
assessment of these properties enables quality control and assurance on
production lines.
High Speed Material Property Maps
For
many materials, including composites, the mechanical properties may vary widely
from one area to the next. The iMicro provides a sample stage movement of 100mm
in the X and Y axes, and 25mm in the Z axis, allowing testing of a wide range
of sample heights over a large sample area. The optional NanoBlitz Topography
and Tomography software can quickly generate color maps of any of the measured
mechanical properties.
ISO 14577 Hardness Testing
The
iMicro nanoindenter includes a pre-written ISO 14577 Test Method that measures
material hardness in compliance with the ISO 14577 standard. This test method
automatically measures and reports Young’s modulus, instrumented hardness,
Vickers hardness and the normalized work-of-indentation.
Polymer Tan Delta, Storage and Loss Modulus
The
iMicro nanoindenter is capable of measuring both tan delta and the storage and
loss modulus for ultra-soft materials, including viscoelastic polymers. Storage
and loss modulus and tan delta are important properties of viscoelastic
polymers, whose energy is stored as elastic energy and dissipated as heat. Both
of these metrics measure energy dissipation in a given material.
Quantitative Scratch and Wear Testing
The
iMicro can perform scratch and wear testing on a variety of materials. Coatings
and films are subjected to many processes that test the strength of these films
and their adhesion to the substrate, such as chemical-mechanical polishing
(CMP) and wire bonding. It is important for these materials to resist plastic
deformation during these processes, and to remain intact without blistering up
from the substrate. Ideally, a dielectric material will have a high hardness
and elastic modulus because these parameters help define how the material will
react when subjected to manufacturing processes.
High Temperature Nanoindentation Testing
Nanoindentation
at elevated temperatures is critical to characterizing material performance
under thermal stress, especially for quantifying failure mechanisms during
thermomechanical processing. Varying the sample temperature during mechanical
testing enables not only measurement of thermal-induced behavioral changes, but
also quantification of transition plasticity of materials that are not easily
tested on the nano-scale.