July 19, 2006 – Asylum Research, a Santa Barbara, Calif., manufacturer of atomic force microscopes, announced the availability of its new NanoIndenter module for use with the Asylum Research MFP-3D AFM System.

Unlike cantilever-based nanoindenters, the NanoIndenter drives the nanoindenting tip perpendicular to the sample. And unlike conventional nanoindenters, tip displacement and force are measured with the MFP-3D AFM’s optical detector and the NPS Nanopositioning sensors.

Asylum says the combination results in exquisite force and positioning sensitivity. This allows repeatable imaging, quantitative feature measurement, reliable and accurate imaging offsets, quantitative force curves, and precise positioning for manipulation and lithography.

The NanoIndenter fits on the MFP-3D AFM head for easy viewing of the sample. It is available in two models, Standard and Low Force. The module comes with three standard sample mounts, small, medium and large.

Measurements and surface characterization can be done on many different materials including thin films, coatings, polymers, etc. The company says the NanoIndenter is ideal for a variety of applications including the elastic and inelastic behavior of materials; dislocation phenomena; fractures in ceramics; mechanical behavior of metals, thin films, ceramics, bone, biomaterials, residual stresses; and time dependent mechanical characteristics in soft metals and polymers.