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

S. Comby-Dassonneville (1) , F. Charlot (2) , R. Martin (2) , F. Roussel-Dherbey (2) , L. Maniguet (2) , D. Pellerin (3) , F. Volpi (1) , C. Boujrouf (1) , G. Parry (1) , M. Braccini (1) , S. Iruela (1) , A. Antoni-Zdziobeka (1) , Y. Champion (1) , M. Verdier (1)

1 SIMaP - Science et Ingénierie des Matériaux et Procédés
2 CMTC - Consortium des Moyens Technologiques Communs
3 Scientec / CSInstruments

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 setup , 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.

Mots clés: Electrical contact; nanoindentation; scanning electron microscope; area monitoring; oxide cracking; breakdown

Domaines: Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]; Matériaux

S. Comby-Dassonneville, F. Charlot, R. Martin, F. Roussel-Dherbey, L. Maniguet, et al.. Development and Application of a Multifunctional Nanoindenter: Coupling to Electrical Measurements and Integration In-Situ in a Scanning Electron Microscope. 2019 IEEE Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts, Sep 2019, Milwaukee, United States. pp.1-8, ⟨10.1109/HOLM.2019.8923946⟩. ⟨hal-02992870⟩