AFM based methods for mechanical characterization of Nanothin films in electronics

We have developed a methodology to determine local indentation modulus M for films with thickness ranging from several nanometers to several hundreds of nanometers with nano-scale lateral resolution. Our results obtained for silicon oxide as well as porous organosilicate glasses were in a very good agreement with those provided by nanoindentation methods. The method used is the so-called atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM).