Measurement of local mechanical properties is an important topic in the fields of nanoscale device fabrication, thin film deposition and composite material development. Nanoindentation instruments are commonly used to study hardness and related mechanical properties at the nanoscale. However, traceability and uncertainty aspects of the measurement process often remain left aside. In this contribution, the use of a commercial nanoindentation instrument for metrology purposes will be discussed. Full instrument traceability, provided using atomic force microscope cantilevers and a mass comparator (normal force), interferometer (depth) and atomic force microscope (area function) is described. The uncertainty of the loading/unloading curve measurements will be analyzed and the resulting uncertainties for quantities, that are computed from loading curves such as hardness or elastic modulus, are studied. For this calculation a combination of uncertainty propagation law and Monte Carlo uncertainty evaluations are used.

No abstract

The project 19RPT02 “Improvement of the realisation of the mass scale” (EMPIR Call 2019 – Energy, Environment, Normative and Research Potential) has just started.<br />Its aim is to improve the quality of one of the most important tasks in mass metrology, the realisation of the mass scale. After the new definition of the kilogram this technique is getting more important.

No abstract

A comparison of sub-milligram mass standards was undertaken within EURAMET between NPL (as the pilot laboratory), INM (Romania), CEM (Spain), CMI (Czech Republic), SMU (Slovakia) and NSC IM (Ukraine). The weights circulated had nominal values of 500 micrograms, 200 micrograms (2 weights), 100 micrograms and 50 micrograms. Main text To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).