VERIFICATION OF NANOINDENTATION DEVICES USING ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

Nanoindentation has become a popular tool for the exploration of mechanical properties of materials at the nanoscale. However, calibration and traceability issues are often neglected, making the direct comparison of results between different instruments difficult. The direct calibration of the sensors is challenging and requires dedicated instruments leaving indirect calibration as the only option to ordinary users. However, indirect calibration compares only the resulting hardness or modulus of the reference sample and the measured sample. Therefore, it cannot distinguish the source of errors, such as errors in the depth and load sensors, errors in the reference sample properties, contamination of the tip or sample, wear of tip and others.In this contribution we explore the possibility of using measurements of indents by atomic force microscopy for the verification of the depth sensor. Measurements for different nanoindentation devices are presented and compared with a focus on the uncertainties of the method.