Application of nanoindentation technique to extract properties of thin films through experimental and numerical analysis

One of the major topics in novel microelectronics are thin film materials - especially their mechanical properties. Accurate description of such materials is necessary in order to assess their reliability and to predict failures in electronic devices. The mechanical attributes of thin films can be determined using the nanoindentation test. However, with this equipment it is only possible to obtain estimates elastic parameters: Young's modulus and hardness of the thin layer. In the paper, it is demonstrated that with a support of numerical methods the plastic behaviour of the material can also be extracted. The numerical FEM model of the nanoindentation test was elaborated and numerical optimization algorithms were applied. The goal was to examine the elastoplastic behaviour of the investigated thin film, which is the aluminium layer in this case. Various numerical material models were used in order to decently extract the material properties of the investigated thin layer.