Abstract - Indentation experiments on very thin films are analyzed by employing a rigorous solution to model elastic substrate effects. Two cases are discussed: elastic indentations where film and substrate are anisotropic, and elasto-plastic indentations where significant material pile-up occurs. We demonstrate that the elastic modulus of a thin film can be accurately measured in both cases, even if there is significant elastic mismatch between film and substrate. 

This manuscript has been accepted for publication in Journal of Materials Research.  

Abstract – A data analysis procedure has been developed to estimate the contact area in an elasto-plastic indentation of a thin film bonded to a substrate. The procedure can be used to derive the elastic modulus and hardness of the film from the indentation load, displacement, and contact stiffness data at indentation depths that are a significant fraction of the film thickness. The analysis is based on Yu’s elastic solution for the contact of a rigid conical punch on a layered half-space and uses an approach similar to the Oliver-Pharr method for bulk materials. The methodology is demonstrated for both compliant films on stiff substrates and the reverse combination and shows improved accuracy over previous methods.