A NEW PROPOSAL FOR DESIGN OF HIGH-ACCURACY NANO-INDENTERS

An apparatus is described that is suitable for mechanical characteriza tion of thin films and metallic coatings at very low loads. In the pre sent state, penetration depth can be measured, without special precaut ions, with a resolution of 1 angstrom. The loading electrostatic force can be varied from 10(-7) N to 0.1 N. The use of piezoelectric actuat ors allows one to position indentations with an accuracy in the range of a few nanometres. Owing to its compact design, the present apparatu s appears highly insensitive to mechanical parasitic vibrations and to thermal instabilities.