Investigation of the mechanical properties of thin films by nanoindentation, considering the effects of thickness and different coating–substrate combinations

In order to further investigate nanoindentation data of film–substrate systems and to learn more about the mechanical properties of nanometer film–substrate systems, two kinds of films on different substrate systems have been tested with a systematic variation in film thickness and substrate characteristics. The two kinds of films are aluminum and tungsten, which have been sputtered on to glass and silicon substrates, respectively. Indentation experiments were performed with a Nano Indent XP II with indenter displacements typically about two times the nominal film thicknesses. The resulting data are analyzed in terms of load–displacement curves and various comparative parameters, such as hardness, Youngʹs modulus, unloading stiffness and elastic recovery. Hardness and Youngʹs modulus are investigated when the substrate effects are considered. The results show how the composite hardness and Youngʹs modulus are different for different substrates, different films and different film thicknesses. An assumption of constant Youngʹs modulus is used for the film–substrate system, in which the film and substrate have similar Youngʹs moduli. Composite hardness obtained by the Joslin and Oliver method is compared with the directly measured hardness obtained by the Oliver and Pharr method.