Mechanical characterization of new MEMS/NEMS materials using nanoindentation technique

Accurately understanding the mechanical properties at micro/nanometer scale is of critical importance for the practical applications of micro/nano electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) materials. Micor/nanomechanical characterization methods of several current and potential MEMS/NEMS materials by using nanoindentation technique have been investigated, involving polymers, nano-structures, as well as shape memory alloys (SMA). The results show that nanoindentation technique is a powerful method to characterize the mechanical properties of these new MEMS/NEMS materials and can also provide an effective experimental tool to reveal the correlation between apparent mechanical behaviors and underlying factors.