To obtain frame compliance of nanoindentation instruments

several calibration methods

such as Doerner-Nix method

Oliver-Pharr method

Sun Yong method and Van Vliet method are reviewed and analyzed. Following Van Vliet method

an improved one to directly calibrate frame compliance of nanoindentation instrument is proposed. Taking a round rod with flat end instead of the indenter

it can be realized to calibrate frame compliance near the working condition of nanoindentation instruments. The improved method enables to calibrate frame compliance of a self-made nanoindentation instrument as 0.007 94 mm/N

which coincides with that obtained by Sun Yong method. It can also be extended to calibrate compliance frame of other precise instruments and devices.