Stress-Strain Curve based on mechanical properties for a polymer hard coating film by Instrumented Indentation Test(IIT)

Instrumented indentation test is a useful analytical technique for measuring the mechanical properties of micro- or nano-scale thin films processed by coating or plating on a substrate. Generally, properties measurable by instrumented indentation test include composite hardness, plastic hardness, elastic modulus, and elastic compliance. However, it is known that measuring tensile strength and elongation, which are typically assessed using traditional tensile testing machines, is not possible. In this study, we use a nanoindenter, the most representative instrument for instrumented indentation testing, to measure the mechanical properties of a polymer film coated on a wafer. We then analyze the correlation between hardness and strength. Through the analysis results, we aim to derive tensile strength and elongation from the property data measured by the nanoindenter, and explore methods to construct stress-strain curve(S-S Curve) from this raw data.