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Giant pop-ins in nanoindented silicon and germanium caused by lateral cracking

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Abstract

Giant “pop-in” displacements are observed in crystalline silicon and germanium during high-load nanoindentation with a spherical diamond tip. These events are consistent with material removal triggered by lateral cracking during loading, which poses a hazard to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) operation. We examine the scaling of the pop-in displacements as a function of peak indentation load and demonstrate a correlation with the depth of the plastic contact zone. We argue that giant pop-ins may occur in a broad range of highly brittle materials.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by a travel grant from the Australian Research Network for Advanced Materials. Certain commercial equipment, instruments, or materials are identified in this paper. Such identification does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia

    D.J. Oliver, J.E. Bradby & J.S. Williams

  2. Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, USA

    B.R. Lawn, R.F. Cook & M.G. Reitsma

  3. Electron Microscope Unit, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    P. Munroe

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  1. D.J. Oliver
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  2. B.R. Lawn
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  3. R.F. Cook
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  4. M.G. Reitsma
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  5. J.E. Bradby
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  7. P. Munroe
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Correspondence to D.J. Oliver.

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Oliver, D., Lawn, B., Cook, R. et al. Giant pop-ins in nanoindented silicon and germanium caused by lateral cracking. Journal of Materials Research 23, 297–301 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2008.0070

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