Electron backscatter diffraction: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:47, 17 January 2024

Revision as of 18:01, 17 January 2024

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=March 2023}}

[[File:EBSD Si.png|thumb|An electron backscatter diffraction pattern of [[monocrystalline silicon]], taken at 20 kV with a [[Field electron emission|field-emission]] electron source|alt=An electron backscatter diffraction pattern of monocrystalline silicon, taken at 20 kV with a field-emission electron source. The Kikuchi bands intersect at the centre of the image |300x300px]]

'''Electron backscatter diffraction''' ('''EBSD''') is a [[scanning electron microscopy]] (SEM) technique used to study the [[Crystallography|crystallographic]] structure of materials. EBSD is carried out in a scanning electron microscope equipped with an EBSD detector comprising at least a [[Phosphorescence|phosphorescent]] screen, a compact lens and a low-light [[Charge-coupled device|camera]]. In the microscope an incident beam of electrons hits a tilted sample. As backscattered electrons leave the sample, they interact with the atoms and are both elastically [[Electron diffraction|diffracted]] and lose energy, leaving the sample at various scattering angles before reaching the phosphor screen forming [[Kikuchi lines (physics)|Kikuchi patterns]] (EBSPs). The EBSD spatial resolution depends on many factors, including the nature of the material under study and the sample preparation. They can be indexed to provide information about the material's grain [[Crystal structure|structure]], grain [[Electron crystallography|orientation]], and [[Phase (matter)|phase]] at the micro-scale. EBSD is used for impurities and [[Crystallographic defect|defect studies]], [[Plasticity (physics)|plastic deformation]], and statistical analysis for average [[misorientation]], [[Grain boundary|grain]] size, and crystallographic texture. EBSD can also be combined with [[energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy]] (EDS), [[cathodoluminescence]] (CL), and [[wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy|wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy]] (WDS) for advanced [[Phase-change material|phase identification]] and materials discovery.