What is EBSD analysis?
EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction) analysis is a technique for the microstructural characterisation of crystalline materials based on the interaction of electrons with the crystalline structure.
It is used to measure the crystallographic orientation of grains, grain size and shape, texture, defects and phases present in a sample.
How does EBSD work?
EBSD analysis is based on the principle of diffraction of backscattered electrons by crystal planes. When a beam of incident electrons passes through a crystal, some of the electrons are reflected by the crystal planes according to Bragg’s laws.
These backscattered electrons form Kikuchi patterns on a fluorescent screen placed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The Kikuchi patterns are made up of dark and light bands corresponding to the directions of the crystal planes and axes.
Using a specific detector placed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), it is possible to digitise and analyse the Kikuchi figures to determine the orientation and symmetry of the crystal. By scanning the sample with an electron beam, it is possible to obtain an EBSD map representing the crystalline orientation of each point analysed.
EBSD analysis is a powerful technique for studying the microstructural properties of materials and understanding their mechanical, thermal, electrical or magnetic behaviour.