NANOINDENTATION IN
MATERIALS SCIENCE

Edited by Jiří Němeček







Nanoindentation in Materials Science

Edited by Jiří Němeček

Contributors
Qing Peng, Li Ma, Lyle Levine, Ron Dixson, Douglas Smith, David Bahr, Jaroslav Menčík,
Jiří Němeček, L. Zhang, T. Ohmura
,
K. Tsuzaki, Bruno A. Latella, Michael V. Swain, Michel Ignat,
Ksenia Shcherbakova, Akiko Hatakeyama, Yosuke Amemiya, Nobuo Shimamoto,
Bruno B. Lopes, Rita C.C. Rangel, César A. Antonio, Steven F. Durrant, Nilson C. Cruz,
Elidiane C. Rangel, Mamadou Diobet, Vasarla Nagendra Sekhar, Ondřej Jiroušek,
Hongwei Zhao, Hu Huang, Zunqiang Fan, Zhaojun Yang, Zhichao Ma

Published by InTech
Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia

Copyright © 2012 InTech

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Notice
Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and
not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy
of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no responsibility for
any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials,
instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book.

Publishing Process Manager Oliver Kurelic
Typesetting InTech Prepress, Novi Sad
Cover InTech Design Team

First published October, 2012
Printed in Croatia

A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com
Additional hard copies can be obtained from


Nanoindentation in Materials Science, Edited by Jiří Němeček
p. cm.
ISBN 978-953-51-0802-3









Contents

Preface IX
Section 1 Testing Methodologies, Principles,
Sources of Errors and Uncertainties 1
Chapter 1 First-Principles Quantum Simulations 3
Qing Peng
Chapter 2 Effect of the Spherical Indenter Tip
Assumption on the Initial Plastic Yield Stress 25
Li Ma, Lyle Levine, Ron Dixson, Douglas Smith and David Bahr
Chapter 3 Uncertainties and Errors in Nanoindentation 53
Jaroslav Menčík
Section 2 Nanomechanical Performance
of Composite Materials 87
Chapter 4 Nanoindentation Based Analysis
of Heterogeneous Structural Materials 89
Jiří Němeček
Chapter 5 Application of Nanoindentation
Technique in Martensitic Structures 109
L. Zhang, T. Ohmura

and K. Tsuzaki
Section 3 Nanoindentation on Thin Layers and Films 131
Chapter 6 Indentation and Fracture

of Hybrid Sol-Gel Silica Films 133
Bruno A. Latella, Michael V. Swain and Michel Ignat
Chapter 7 Nanoindentation as a Tool to Clarify the Mechanism Causing
Variable Stiffness of a Silane Layer on Diamond 161
Ksenia Shcherbakova, Akiko Hatakeyama,
Yosuke Amemiya and Nobuo Shimamoto
VI Contents

Chapter 8 Mechanical and Tribological Properties
of Plasma Deposited a-C:H:Si:O Films 179
Bruno B. Lopes, Rita C.C. Rangel, César A. Antonio,
Steven F. Durrant, Nilson C. Cruz, Elidiane C. Rangel
Section 4 Characterization of Microdevices
and Integrated Circuits 203
Chapter 9 Characterization of Microdevices by Nanoindentation 205
Mamadou Diobet
Chapter 10 Mechanical Characterization of Black Diamond (Low-k)
Structures for 3D Integrated Circuit
and Packaging Applications 229
Vasarla Nagendra Sekhar
Section 5 Nanoindentation on Biological Materials 257
Chapter 11 Nanoindentation of Human Trabecular Bone –
Tissue Mechanical Properties Compared
to Standard Engineering Test Methods 259
Ondřej Jiroušek
Section 6 Design of New Nanoindentation Devices 285
Chapter 12 Design, Analysis and Experiments
of a Novel in situ SEM Indentation Device 287
Hongwei Zhao, Hu Huang, Zunqiang Fan,
Zhaojun Yang and Zhichao Ma










Preface

The book "Nanoindentation in Materials Science" is dedicated to the widespread
audience ranging from students to scientists and industrial researchers to help them
with orientation in a variety of up-to-date topics related to the field of
nanoindentation. Nanoindentation, as a universal experimental technique for
measuring mechanical properties in small volumes, has attracted strong attention
between the material scientists. Nowadays, nanoindentation that was formerly
dedicated to pure homogeneous materials has infiltrated to quite distant areas (e.g.
textile composites, cement industry, electronics, biomechanics and others). Everyday,
it helps researches to study intrinsic properties of low level material units. The variety
of potential topics is reflected also in this book where multiple phenomena are
discussed.
The book contains twelve chapters divided into six sections. Each chapter gives the
reader basic overview of the solved problem and relevant information about the topic.
The subject is elaborated in details and contains original author's ideas and new
solutions.
The first section, which is devoted to testing methodologies, principles, sources of
errors and uncertainties, contains a contribution about the first principles of quantum
simulations, a chapter on theoretical aspects, basic deformation mechanisms and
evaluation of results in spherical indentation and a valuable chapter about the critical

aspects in data evaluation, limitations in measurements and extensive review of error
sources.
The second section deals with nanomechanical properties of composite materials.
Their heterogeneity is in focus and different approaches how to solve this problem is
proposed in the contributions that find applications in structural materials (e.g.
cement, gypsum and metals).
The third section contains contributions from the area of thin layers and films. Novel
hybrid sol-gel silica films are investigated and a biomolecular layer (aminosilane)
formed on diamond surfaces with a potential use in nanomachines is studied. The
section is complemented by a contribution about plasma sprayed films.
X Preface

The fourth section solves problems in characterization of microdevices (e.g. MEMS)
and integrated circuits. The fifth section is devoted to nanoindentation applied in the
study of human trabecular bone linking –up the micro and meso-material scales.
Finally, the sixth section deals with the development of a novel in-situ device, its
design, performance and calibration aspects.
Hopefully, the book will be inspiring source of information for the readers which will
help them to improve their own research in their fields of study.

Jiří Němeček
Faculty of Civil Engineering,
Czech Technical University in Prague,
Czech Republic




Section 1





Testing Methodologies, Principles,
Sources of Errors and Uncertainties