New Measurements on the Minimum and Maximum Sample Sizes in t-EBSD

Published

October 9, 2013

Author(s)

Roy H. Geiss, Robert R. Keller, Katherine P. Rice

Abstract

The technique of acquiring transmission electron diffraction patterns in the scanning electron microscope, SEM, using components of commercially available electron backscattered diffraction equipment, EBSD, normally used in a reflection geometry, was first introduced in 2010 (1). Since then it has been pursued by a number of laboratories. In particular, during the past year a number of publications have appeared demonstrating various applications of the technique, (2- 4). The technique, which we call transmission electron backscattered diffraction, t-EBSD, provides a completely new capability for obtaining diffraction patterns from thin, electron transparent crystalline samples in the SEM. In the publications referenced above, transmission Kikuchi patterns have been presented from a variety of TEM like samples including nanoparticles, nanowires and thin films and foils. In all the results, the spatial resolution obtained has been on the order of 5 nm or less, far smaller than has been shown from reflection EBSD. To realize t-EBSD using standard EBSD hardware, the only requirement is that an electron transparent sample be positioned in such a way as to allow the transmitted diffraction pattern to fall on the phosphor of the EBSD camera. If the sample normal is tilted 20 degrees relative to the incident beam, the standard indexing software can be employed after considering that this sample normal is 90 degrees relative to the sample normal in standard reflection geometry. A number of questions are often asked relating to various applications of the technique. (1) What is the smallest particle from which an indexed pattern has been obtained? (2) What is the thinnest film from which an indexed pattern has been obtained? (3) What is the thickest film, or foil, from which an indexed pattern has been obtained? Here we present results from data obtained in our laboratory as preliminary answers to these questions.

Proceedings Title

Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013

Volume

19

Issue

S2

Conference Dates

August 5-8, 2013

Conference Location

Indianapolis, IN

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927613005473

Keywords

"EBSD", "t-EBSD", "electron diffraction", "scanning electron microscope"

Citation

Geiss, R. , Keller, R. and Rice, K. (2013), New Measurements on the Minimum and Maximum Sample Sizes in t-EBSD, Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013, Indianapolis, IN, [online], https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927613005473 (Accessed April 23, 2024)