Nanoindentation response of ITO film

We report nanoindentation response of indium tin oxide (ITO) film deposited by reactive direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. The phase pure ITO film showed dense and needle-like nanostructure. Detailed mechanical characterization of ITO film was carried out by the nanoindentation technique. The average nanohardness and elastic modulus were evaluated as about 17.5 GPa and 189 GPa, respectively. Comparatively higher nanohardness and modulus values were found in the present work, which is possibly linked with the dense nanostructure of the ITO film. Further, fracture toughness was measured as ~0.56 MPa.m0.5. The corresponding projected area of indentation, elastic energy and plastic energy were also reported