Shape memory effect in nanoindentation of nickel–titanium thin films

Nanoindentation of GaSe thin films

The structural and nanomechanical properties of GaSe thin films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nanoindentation techniques. The GaSe thin films were deposited on Si(111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. XRD patterns reveal only the pure (000 l)-oriented reflections originating from the hexagonal GaSe phase and no trace of any impurity or additional phases. Nanoin...

Size Independent Shape Memory Behavior of NickelTitanium

While shape memory alloys such as NiTi have strong potential as active materials in many small-scale applications, much is still unknown about their shape memory and deformation behavior as size scale is reduced. This paper reports on two sets of experiments which shed light onto an inconsistent body of research regarding the behavior of NiTi at the nanoto microscale. In situ SEM pillar bending...

Berkovich Nanoindentation on AlN Thin Films

Berkovich nanoindentation-induced mechanical deformation mechanisms of AlN thin films have been investigated by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) techniques. AlN thin films are deposited on the metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) derived Si-doped (2 × 1017 cm-3) GaN template by using the helicon sputtering system. The XTE...

Shape memory and ferromagnetic shape memory effects in single-crystal Ni2MnGa thin films

Crystallization kinetics of amorphous NiTi shape memory alloy thin films

The temperature dependence of the crystallite nucleation and growth rates is measured for amorphous NiTi thin films. Using transmission electron microscopy, crystallites are shown to nucleate homogeneously in the film and to grow in a channeling mode. A mechanism that suppresses heterogeneous nucleation is proposed. By manipulating nucleation and growth rates, grains as large as 60 lm can be ob...