Deformation of Nanostructured Materials

by Ruth Schwaiger SPIE Newsroom, accessed 20 Jul 2006 Increased interest in nanoscale deformation has been spurred by the rapid miniaturization of features and components in microelectronic devices, magnetic storage media, and micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. Materials for these applications are often chosen because of their electronic, optical, or magnetic properties. Frequently, however, the mechanical properties are the performance-limiting factor. Until recently, the techniques used to produce samples resulted in a high number of induced artefacts and, hence, irregular mechanical properties. Thanks to progress in processing methods, we can now make nanograin samples of high purity and high density that, under experimental conditions, show reproducible characteristics. Such fully dense materials are excellent candidates for fundamental mechanical property studies as well as for high-performance applications. Read more