Effects of the Substrate on the Determination of SEBS Thin Film Mechanical Properties by Nanoindentation

Investigation of the Influence of Nanoscale Porosity in the Interfacial Layers on the Mechanical Properties of Helium Plasma-Exposed Tungsten

“…A substrate effect is relevant in the case of probing hard films on soft substrates; however, for soft films on hard substrates, as long as there are no pile-up and sink-in phenomena that change the tip contact area, substrate effects are negligible. 25 Drift due to thermally induced displacements, arising from ambient-temperature fluctuations, is another factor that can affect the nanoindentation measurements. 26 All such confounding factors must be minimized or controlled for proper interpretation of the mechanical attributes of nanoscale features, as in the fuzzy layers on W surfaces.…”

“…The dependence of material hardness on the respective layer thicknesses, with respect to a given substrate, is considered through an indentation size effect and calibrated by comparing the mechanical property parameters obtained from different samples at identical indentation depth/s. A substrate effect is relevant in the case of probing hard films on soft substrates; however, for soft films on hard substrates, as long as there are no pile-up and sink-in phenomena that change the tip contact area, substrate effects are negligible . Drift due to thermally induced displacements, arising from ambient-temperature fluctuations, is another factor that can affect the nanoindentation measurements .…”