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

摘要

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a powerful technique for structural characterization of micro- or nanocrystalline samples in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Reliable EBSD analysis of non-conductive samples has so far required the use of conductive coatings or variable pressure (VP) SEM. An in-situ charge compensation system provides improved EBSD analysis of nonconductive samples without the drawbacks of these conventional methods. Similar to VP-SEM, charge neutralisation is achieved by gas ionization, but at negligible loss of resolution due to a significantly reduced interaction volume of beam and backscattered electrons with gas particles.