Depth-sensing nanoindentation techniques are very successful and consequently are gaining much attention for characterization of nanoscale mechanical properties of materials. However, owing to limitations in surface sensitivity, tip shape characterization, thermal drift measurement, and noise floor, quantifying mechanical properties below the 50nm length scale is extremely difficult. In this presentation, recent developments in quantitative depth-sensing indentation will be presented with many examples. We will present how the sensitivity of the instrument can be improved by combining dynamic force modulation with the depth-sensing technique and how this can be used to study the time-dependent deformation behavior of materials at nanoscale. We also present a novel quantitative stiffness imaging technique, which can be used directly to map the mechanical properties of materials with sub-micron lateral resolution.
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