The aim of this thesis was the development of new measurement techniques based on nano-indentation, adapted for difficult experimental conditions: small penetration depths, rough surfaces, and high temperature. The thermal contact between a Berkovich indenter initially at 25 °C and a fused silica sample heated at 80 °C, in air at 60 °C, was numerically simulated by finite elements method. The results showed the necessity to heat the indenter in order to avoid effects due to the difference of temperature between the two solids. Furthermore, high temperature nanoindentation tests showed the displacement signal is greatly influenced by temperature variations (<0.1°C), resulting in imprecise mechanical properties calculation. A new experimental technique, based on the measurement of the amplitude of the second harmonic of displacement, was developed. With this method, the determination of the mechanical properties is independent of the indentation depth measurement. So, the second harmonic method is adapted to high temperature tests. It was tested on homogeneous materials (fused silica and PMMA), on a sample which is known to exhibit an Indentation Size Effect (calcite), and on thin PMMA layers deposited onto silicon wafers, at room temperature. With the second harmonic method, the mechanical properties are measured more precisely at small penetration depths. Experiments performed on the calcite sample showed that the Indentation Size Effect is more precisely measured with this new method. Furthermore, the indentation depth can be calculated "a posteriori" with second harmonic method. A second new measurement technique, based on the derivative of the contact depth with respect to the indentation depth, was developed. With this simple method, the mechanical properties are more precisely measured at room temperature at small indentation depths. Measurements are also improved on rough samples and at high temperature.
