Micro Materials

User Profiles

Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology

The Advanced Metrology Laboratory in Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) uses the NanoTest^TM 550 indentation system extensively in its research projects in process technology. The nature of the projects varies from direct applications, for finding solutions to manufacturing problems, to research for the developments of new materials, devices, and technique for surface science

The NanoTest^TM is used for measuring the hardness of aluminium and gold bond pads for applications in electronics packaging. The hardness of the bond pads must be compatible with that of the bond wire in order to produce good bonds between the wire and the pads. The indentation system is frequently used to check for this compatibility.

In the research in surface technology, the NanoTest^TM has been used widely for the development of wear resistant high speed machining and anti-sticking coatings. The performance of these coatings depends greatly on the hardness and moduli of elasticity of the coating materials, and the NanoTest 550 indentation system is used to measure these properties.

The NanoTest^TM plays an important role in the design of devices for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). To predict the performance of silicon-based MEMS devices, the hardness and moduli of elasticity of silicon wafers to be used in the fabrication are important and necessary parameters to be input in the simulations for the performance. As silicon is brittle and the wafers are thin, NanoTest 550 is used to measure the hardness and moduli of elasticity of the silicon wafers.

The atomic resolution of a scanning probe microscope makes it a potential tool for surface science for the analysis of chemical surface species. As the force of interaction between the sharp tip of a probe and the surface of the work piece is important for such applications, it has to be measured precisely and reproducibly. In measuring this force, nano-indentation system is used to determine the moduli of elasticity of the small cantilever of the probe, which, together with known dimensions and displacement of the probe, make the force of interaction between the probe and surface entities measurable.

As described above, the NanoTest^TM is used in quite a number of applications in the research in process technology in SIMTech. It is believed that the system will continue to be useful for a wide range of research projects in this area.