Nano- And Microscale Mechanical Characterization Using Instrumented Indentation

This overview presents instrumented indentation as a powerful tool for qualitative and quantitative mechanical characterization of nano- and microscale volumes and structures. A brief review of existing methodologies for estimating elasto-plastic properties from representative load-depth data is presented and the principle behind such approaches is emphasized. Selected examples are also presented to illustrate the applicability of nanoindentation to a variety of material classes and geometries