Nanoindenter
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A new type of indenter is described. This device combines certain sensing and structural elements of atomic force microscopy with a module designed for the use of indentation probes, conventional diamond and otherwise, as well as unconventional designs, to produce high resolution and otherwise superior indentation measurements.
-
Citations
36 Claims
-
1. (canceled)
-
2. An assembly, comprising:
-
a cantilever based instrument which includes a connection to a cantilever portion, an actuator for said cantilever portion, and sensors for measuring displacement and force of said cantilever portion; and an indenter portion, including an indenter probe, said indenter portion being movable to move perpendicularly relative to a sample being measured, wherein said indenter probe uses the same actuators and sensors as said cantilever based instrument. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method, comprising:
-
in a first mode, using a cantilever based instrument which includes a connection to a cantilever portion, an actuator for said cantilever portion, sensors for measuring displacement and force of said cantilever portion; and in a second mode, using an indenter portion including an indenter probe, which is movable to move perpendicularly relative to a sample being measured, wherein said indenter probe uses the same actuators and sensors as said cantilever based instrument. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. An assembly, comprising:
-
an indenter portion, including an indenter probe; an actuator, operating to move the indenter probe perpendicularly relative to a sample; detection devices including a first portion operating to detect displacement imparted by said actuator and a second portion operating to detect displacement of said indenter probe; wherein a force applied by said indenter probe is detected by said detection devices; an optical system which allows direct optical view of a sample to which force is applied. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. An assembly, comprising:
-
an indenter portion, including an indenter probe, which is movable to move perpendicularly to a sample; an actuator for said indenter portion; sensors for said indenter portion which measure at least one of displacement and/or force of said indenter probe; and wherein said indenter portion includes a flexure through which the indenter probe is moved by said actuator in a Z axis direction, which is a direction perpendicular to a plane of the flexure and perpendicular to a sample being measured.
-
-
36. A method comprising:
-
driving an indenter portion, including an indenter probe perpendicularly relative to a sample while constraining a motion of said indenter probe into the perpendicular direction; detecting displacement of said indenter probe; during said indenting, directly viewing optically a sample to which force is applied, through the indenter probe.
-
Specification