Ion Milling Maximizes EBSD Sensitivity for Studying Metallographic Samples

Abstract Because electron backscatter diffraction is a surface-sensitive technique, preparing the sample surface so that it is smooth and free of defects is crucial to successful analysis. Supplementing hand polishing with ion milling provides a superior surface finish free of operator or technique-related errors, thus enabling a high-confidence EBSD examination of the microstructure of even the most complex materials.