Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWSYoung researchers and experienced experts from the field of nanomechanical testing exchanged ideas at the 15th edition of the Nanobrücken Conference, which took place at the Fraunhofer IMWS this year. Around 70 international guests from science and industry came to Halle (Saale) at the invitation of device manufacturer Bruker BNSM. They discussed new trends, research approaches and potential applications.
The program of the three-day conference combined lectures by leading experts with practical workshops/tutorials and a poster session. All aspects of nanomechanical and nanotribological testing were covered, including biomechanical, in-situ experiments and theory/simulation.
In nanomechanical testing, material properties such as hardness, elasticity, tensile strength, creep behavior or fatigue are examined on a nanoscale level. The method makes important contributions to the reliability of devices and components and to the development of new materials.
As academic partner of the conference, the Fraunhofer IMWS contributed its expertise on possible applications of nanoindentation to the conference program. In a welcome address by institute director Prof. Dr. Erica Lilleodden, the institute's expertise was highlighted, as well as the links between nanomechanical processes and the pilot line for "Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems" (APECS), in which the Fraunhofer IMWS is involved.
Falk Naumann, team leader “Mechanics & Simulation” at the Fraunhofer IMWS, presented a "Study of epoxy-based molding compound degradation at high temperature operation using nano-indentation mapping techniques". Prof. Dr. Thomas Höche, head of the business unit "Optical Materials and Technologies", presented possibilities for "Speeding up Micromechanics Sample Prep for Indentation Testing Using Ultrashort Laser Pulses" in a further lecture.
During a laboratory tour, the guests were able to get to know the first-class equipment of the Fraunhofer IMWS and the background of the methods used at the institute to learn about microstructure characterization, including common applications and insights into the development of new testing methods and devices. These included the possibilities of microstructure analysis and defect diagnostics using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), non-destructive defect localization (Scanning Acoustic Microscopy SAM), micromechanical sample preparation with laser tools, as well as the combination of scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and quantitative nanomechanical testing with a nano-indenter.
(March 7, 2025)