In-situ transmission electron microscopy study of the nanoindentation behavior of Al

Nanoindentation is a useful technique for investigating fundamental, mechanisms associated with small-volume deformation, processes that are often obscured on coarser scales. Recently, a novel experimental technique of in-situ nanoindentation for the transmission electron microscope (TEM), which provides real-time observations of the mechanisms associated with localized deformation, has been developed. Calibration of the force-displacement-voltage relation and load-frame compliance associated with this instrument allows quantitative force-displacement measurements to be obtained in the manner of traditional indentation experiments. Here, we describe the experimental technique along with methods for quantifying the load-displacement response. Additionally, results from experiments into Al thin films are presented.