Development of a nanoindenter for in situ transmission electron microscopy

In situ transmission electron microscopy is an established experimental tec hnique that permits direct observation of the dynamics and mechanisms of di slocation motion and deformation behavior. In this article, we detail the d evelopment of a novel specimen goniometer that allows real-time observation s of the mechanical response of materials to indentation loads. The technol ogy of the scanning tunneling microscope is adopted to allow nanometer-scal e positioning of a sharp, conductive diamond tip onto the edge of an electr on-transparent sample. This allows application of loads to nanometer-scale material volumes coupled with simultaneous imaging of the material's respon se. The emphasis in this report is qualitative and technique oriented, with particular attention given to sample geometry and other technical requirem ents. Examples of the deformation of aluminum and titanium carbide as well as the fracture of silicon will be presented.