Nanoindentation behavior of nanolayered metal-ceramic composites

Small-length scale multilayered structures are attractive materials due to their extremely high strength and flexibility, relative to conventional laminated composites. In this study, nanolayered laminated composites of Al and SiC were synthesized by DC/RF magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the multilayered structures was characterized, and the mechanical properties measured by nanoindentation testing. The influence of layer thickness on Young's modulus and hardness of individual and multilayers was quantified. An analytical model was used to subtract the contribution of the Si substrate, to extract the true modulus of the films.