Nanoindentation on Contamination-Free gold Films Using the Atomic Force Microscope

Nanoindentation experiments on high quality Au films were performed in vacuum using an atomic force microscope. In these experiments, elastic behavior was observed until loading forces greater than ∼ 20 nN were applied. For loads larger than this, systematic changes in the jump-to-contact, loading/unloading and lift-off regions of the data occur. These observations are consistent with a transition from elastic to inelastic behavior during indentation.