We present a new experimental method for measuring the mechanical properties of nanoscale-thick materials using the free-standing membrane test. Freestanding circular membranes are centrally deflected using a spherical indenter attached to a microfabricated fixed-fixed beam device. Experiments of this type allow us to extract mechanical properties of the thin films without the complicating effects of the substrate, enabling accurate study of length scale effects. These experiments differ from previous work by testing freestanding films and by including the finite contact size of the indenter tip.

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