Electron Backscatter Diffraction In The Sem: Is Electron Diffraction In The Tem Obsolete?

Abstract The technique of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope is currently finding a large number of important applications in materials science. The patterns formed through EBSD were first studied over 40 years ago. It has only been in the last 10 years that the technique has really begun to have an impact on the study of materials. The introduction of automatic pattern indexing software has enabled the technique to be used for mapping the orientation of a polycrystalline sample. The more exciting and universally interesting application of the technique has been the identification of micron and sub-micron sized crystalline phases based on their chemistry and crystallography determined by EBSD. EBSD is obtained by illuminating a highly tilted sample (>45° from horizontal) with a stationary electron beam. Electrons backscattered from the sample may satisfy the condition for channeling and will produce images that contain bands of increased and decreased intensity that are equivalent to electron channeling patterns.