Halloween Teddy Bear - October 2016
In-situ SEM nanoindentation is a powerfull technique to investigate the mechanical behavior of submicrometric objects. In this picture, a solid phase dewetted gold island on sapphire has been indented several times in a scanning electronic microscope, until a so cute Halloween Teddy Bear was obtained. Behind this funny picture is the evidence of the great spatial precision which can be reached with the in-situ SEM nanoindenter developped in the SIMaP lab. This is also a nice illustration of the expression:"A sword of Damocles hangs over head"...
About the author: Solène Comby is a PhD student in the Physics of Metals group. Her PhD, funded by the labex CEMAM, is entitled as "Development and applications of a characterization tool based on local measurement of mechancial, electrical and microstructure properties".