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NanoForce
Nanomechanical Testing System
Enabling New Discoveries in Nanomechanics
Innovation with Integrity
Tribology & Mechanical Testers
Beyond Nanoindentation to True
Nanomechanical Properties Measurement
Researchers continue to investigate the
boundaries of nanomechanics and develop
new models to describe near-surface material
behavior. Similarly, product manufacturers
are perpetually searching for improvements
and validation of their processes and
product materials. In both cases, accurate
characterization of nanoscale properties
is imperative. Bruker’s NanoForce™
Nanomechanical Testing System offers the
very latest technology in nanomechanical characterization. Offering extraordinary
accuracy in the measurement of nanomechanical properties, as well as AFM imaging,
NanoForce delivers exceptional performance for nanoscale materials studies.
Bruker’s NanoForce system includes ultra-low load capability, dynamic testing, and AFM imaging as standard
elements, and it provides closed-loop control to maximize experiment-design parameters. With NanoForce you
get true nanomechanical testing capabilities that go far beyond nanoindentation, enabling real innovation in
materials science.
NanoForce delivers
„„A high-performance platform for nanoscale research based on decades of proven AFM design excellence
„„Versatile mechanical testing capabilities for characterization under real-world conditions
„„NanoScript™ software for real-time experimental control
„„Nano- to micro -scale dynamic testing for the widest range of advanced applications
„„Atomic force microscopy for nanoscale topographical analysis
The Union of Nanotechnology and
Mechanical Testing Expertise
Load-depth graphs for single indents in fused silica.
Results of a 30-second
creep test on fused silica.
Recognized the world over as the industry leader
in atomic force microscopy innovations, Bruker’s
high-performance AFM systems are known for
continually introducing new levels of performance to
nanoscale researchers in science and industry. Bruker’s
core expertise is working in nanoscale environments.
Bruker’s family of macro, micro and nano testers are
also known for their high performance, setting the gold
standard for testing materials under widely varying
conditions. Their performance, flexibility, and reliability
have made them the most widely used tribometers in
the world.
Bruker has combined the outstanding capabilities of
AFM nanoscale characterization with the superlative
capabilities of its nanomechanical testers in the
NanoForce Nanomechanical Testing System. NanoForce
seamlessly incorporates a NanoLens™ AFM module
for an unprecedented degree of characterization
information in a nanomechanical testing system.
This powerful combination creates a mechanical testing
platform with unprecedented abilities; the precision
and accuracy needed for nanoscale investigations,
combined with the high level of flexibility and
robustness needed for mechanical testing.
“Nanoindentation is an experimental technique that has contributed substantially to the understanding of material
behavior at the nanoscale, and many recent developments in material science would not have been possible
without it. Bruker has made a significant investment in developing the NanoForce system and, when a company
with the reputation and technical capabilities of Bruker makes such an investment, it represents a major step
forward in the science of nanoindenting.”
– Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and Howard D. Winbigler Professor of Materials Science at Ohio State University
Flexible Mechanical Test Capabilities
Materials science in today’s world is
driven by the need for increasingly
detailed knowledge of the mechanical
properties of materials, and no single test
can provide all the information needed.
NanoForce is a powerful tool that gives
you the flexibility to conduct a broad
range of experiments, as well as multiple
options for analyzing experiment data.
Enabling experiments that require
measurements from nanoNewtons
to milliNewtons across six orders of
magnitude, NanoForce systems deliver
the capabilities required for challenging
applications. Accuracy and repeatability,
required elements in nanomechanical
testing, stem directly from the integrity of
acquired force and displacement data.
NanoScript enables the real-time use of recorded and calculated channels to
control the progression of experiments.
NanoForce was designed from the ground up to pair a best-in-class electromagnetic, actuation-based head
assembly with outstanding load-frame stiffness and industry-leading thermal and acoustic isolation. The head
assembly employs a voice-coil mechanism in which current is passed through a coil that is housed within an
annular magnet. The directly proportional relationship between the current and the applied force results in supreme
accuracy of load application. The system measures displacement via a capacitive gauge, which is decoupled from
the load-application mechanism to ensure precision in the delivery of force and resulting displacement. Dual leaf
springs ensure stability of the indenter column, resulting in performance that is statically stiff and dynamically
compliant.
The range of capabilities built into NanoForce enables you to design the exact test your specific application
requires.
Results of a constant
strain-rate experiment
on fused silica.
Perfected Experimental Control
Having a breadth of
capability in experimental
design plays an integral role
in nanomechanical testing,
as does the capacity of the
measurement system to
support multiple control
modes. All NanoForce
systems are equipped with
NanoScript measurement
software that supports realtime experimental control.
Bruker expressly developed
NanoScript to support the
demanding requirements
of nanomechanical testing.
The intuitive NanoViewer™
interface guides users in
setting up nanomechanical
investigations of material
Flexure test on a doubly-clamped silicon beam (30 mm x 5 mm x 0.2 mm) loaded to 5 mN.
behavior, while intelligent
features prompt the entry
Studies of material behavior at the nanoscale require systems
of key experiment parameters for tests.
that can adapt the testing protocol as a real-time response to
The powerful combination of the NanoForce
either recorded or calculated data. Approaching experimental
system and NanoScript software enables
design in this way can lead to new discoveries and reveal
a level of experimental control capable of
essential information about nanoscale material phenomena. The
supporting any of the following tests:
NanoScript experiment-design software operates seamlessly
with a state-of-the-art controller to deliver the high-caliber user
„„Constant hardness
experience today’s research and product development pursuits
„„Constant rate of displacement
demand. With NanoForce, researchers can set up sequences in the
test flow to capture critical events and record data at a rate of up
„„Constant and variable strain rate
to 100 kHz. Parameters based on recorded or calculated data also
can be applied to control the progression of an experiment, even at
„„Indentation creep
the system’s maximum data recording rate. This control capability
benefits studies ranging from fracture toughness of ceramics to
„„Flexure-based fatigue testing of device
investigations of dislocations in nano-twinned metals.
components
The NanoForce system enables control
tests based on load, displacement, or strain
rate. Demanding applications often require
that strain rates be varied throughout
the course of an experiment. NanoScript
software enables researchers to set up tests
that explore strain-rate sensitivity with just
a few clicks. Mapping strain-rate sensitivity
can be accomplished simply by setting up
an array of nanoindentation tests conducted
at variable rates of strain.
Superior Nano- to Micro-Scale
Dynamic Testing
Nanoindentation represents a key technique for the
measurement of nanoscale mechanical properties. While
quasi-static nanoindentation supports characterization of
the relationship between stress and strain in the form
of a load-displacement history, it can require a multitude
of tests to achieve a thorough understanding of material
behavior. Dynamic testing, however, reveals contact
stiffness as a function of depth, enabling analyses that
would have once required hundreds of thousands of
quasi-static tests.
Studies of thin films and device components alike
benefit from dynamic testing. Investigations of flexural
strength, fatigue and fracture are made possible with
the NanoForce system operating in dynamic mode.
NanoForce systems also dramatically simplify the test
setup process. The user simply selects a test method,
enters the control parameters, and starts the test.
NanoForce utilizes an electromagnetic actuationbased head with a decoupled capacitive gauge for
displacement measurements. This offers exceptional
dynamic range in force and displacement, enabling
deformation analyses from nanometers to millimeters.
This design delivers crucial advantages in control that
are integral to accomplishing challenging experiments on
thin films, nanostructured materials, MEMS, and other
device architectures.
Dynamic testing mode on all NanoForce systems enables
analysis of the phase shift. This image demonstrates the phase
shift at a constant load over 10 seconds for both elastic (Test 1)
and viscoelastic (Test 2) materials.
Load-displacement history for elastic and viscoelastic samples.
Accurate measurement of material behavior at the
nanoscale begins with proper identification of the
sample surface. Bruker offers a dynamic testing mode
on the NanoForce system as a standard feature that may
be applied to the surface-find segment for all tests, and
this mode of operation is engaged by simply selecting
the test method in the NanoScript software. It operates
by sending a current through the voice-coil mechanism,
causing the indenter tip to oscillate. The oscillatory force
is superimposed as a sinusoidal signal, and the sample’s
response is then analyzed. While dynamic mode provides
useful data on material properties, it also provides an
extremely accurate means of identifying the sample
Results for a series of dynamic tests of a thin film on a silicon
surface, ensuring the validity of calculated properties.
substrate, demonstrating excellent repeatability.
It offers a degree of sensitivity and control sufficient to
characterize even extremely compliant materials, such as
gels utilized in biomedical applications.
The sensitivity in detecting surface contact that dynamic testing affords may be applied to bulk samples as well as
thin films and device components. In fact, experiments aimed at assessing time-dependency in materials, such as
polymers, would not even be possible without dynamic testing.
True Nanoscale Topography Analysis
Bruker’s NanoForce system includes the NanoLens™
module, which is a compact, fully contained atomic
force microscope (AFM), which provides extremely
high-resolution imaging down to fractions of a
nanometer.
AFMs operate by measuring force between a micronsized probe and the sample. Though the lateral
resolution of an AFM is relatively low (~30 nm), the
vertical resolution is extremely high (up to 0.1 nm).
Images are acquired by a probe scanning over a small
area of the sample, measuring nanoscale topography,
thermal and electrical properties, magnetism, force
resistance, etc. AFMs are designed to provide threedimensional surface profiles as they measure the local
properties of samples.
In nanomechanical property testing, NanoLens’
primary purpose is to to provide pre-test images
of the surface, allowing the user to identify exactly
where to conduct the test. Given the extremely
high accuracy of sample motion and positioning
(0.1 μm), individual features such as grain
boundaries, filler particles, etc., can be selected
for testing. After the test, the NanoLens can be
used to provide images of the indents and
documentation of the test artifacts.
The comprehensive surface
characterization
possible with
NanoForce, through
its combined power
of nanomechanical
metrology and atomic force
microscopy, ensures you will be
able to consistently and cost-effectively
achieve the highest levels of test
performance and the most complete data
analyses possible.
Indentations in PMMA
(30 μN pre-touch data)
with 500 nm spacing.
Load Capabilities
Maximum Load
45 mN
Minimum Contact Force
0.5 μN
Load Resolution
0.0003 μN
Load Noise Floor
0.5 μN
Displacement
Resolution
0.003 nm
Displacement Noise
Floor
0.4 nm RMS
Maximum Displacement
50 μm
Dynamic Mode
Minimum Force
Amplitude
0.025 μN
Maximum Force
Amplitude
1900 μN
Frequency Range
0 to 300 Hz
Motion System
XY-Stage Total Travel
155 mm x 140 mm
XY-Stage Usable Area
70 mm x 55 mm (accessible by both microscope
and indenter)
Z-Stage Travel
>20 mm
Platform
XY Stage Resolution
0.1 μm
Drift
<0.01 nm/s
Frame Stiffness
>5 x 106 N/m
Multi-Sample Tray
Up to four samples simultaneously
Integrated Vacuum
Chuck
Up to 200 mm diameter sample size
Microscope
Optical magnification: 5X, 10X and 20X standard;
NanoLens: 1000X (AFM) standard
Indenter Tip
Supplied with one Berkovich tip
Bruker Nano Surfaces Division
Campbell, CA • USA
Phone +1.866.262.4040
productinfo@bruker.com
www.bruker.com/nano
Bruker Nano Surfaces Division is continually improving its products and reserves the right to change specifications without notice. © 2014 Bruker Corporation.
All rights reserved. NanoForce, NanoLens, NanoScript, and NanoViewer are trademarks of Bruker Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective companies. B1003, Rev. A0
NanoForce Specifications