Mechanical characteristics approach on W/Cr nano-interface structure

The objective of this article is to provide an experimental test and evaluation on mechanical characteristics of the W/Cr interface. The elastic modulus and hardness of the sample are measured by a nanoindentation tester. The test results show that the elastic modulus and hardness of the sample are nonlinear with respect to the depth h of the interface structure, unlike the usual approximate horizontal linear relationship as expected. To understand the bonding characteristics between W and Cr in nanoscale, the nano-scratch test is conducted considering the influence of thermal cycling load on the sample. The test results show that interfacial bonding strengths are different between samples under different thermal cycling loading conditions. It implies that the thermal loading has the potential probability to reduce the bonding reliability of the W/Cr interface. It builds a basis for future work of further investigations on mechanical properties of W/Cr interface structure.