Electron backscatter diffraction analysis of non-conductive samples using in-situ charge compensation

摘要

Diffraction patterns formed by electrons backscattered from a crystalline material in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) can be recorded with a dedicated electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detector that consists of a scintillator screen, a CCD camera and coupling optics. Characteristic dark and bright line pairs in the recorded diffraction patterns, called Kikuchi bands, relate to the phase and orientation of the underlying crystal [1]. The analysis of these bands in multiple measuring points provides crystallographic orientation mapping, grain size mapping, grain boundary characterization, phase discrimination and distribution, and inter-phase orientation relationships with high lateral resolution in 2D, or, if combined with serial sectioning using a focused ion beam (FIB), in 3D [2]. Using in-situ sample modification techniques, EBSD can even be used to investigate the microstructural evolution of the sample under high temperature or mechanical strain.