A review of EBSD: from rudimentary on line orientation measurements to high resolution elastic strain measurements over the past 30 years.

David J Dingley,Graham Meaden,Austin P Day,Damian J Dingley

doi:10.1088/1757-899x/375/1/012003

Abstract

Considering that the Electron Back Scatter Diffraction technique, EBSD, features in more than 60% of the papers published in the current conference proceedings, this review concentrates on the most recent development in the last ten years, that is, High Resolution EBSD. An outline of the theory is presented and four-point bend test results are shown proving the sensitivity of the technique for measuring elastic strain is 1 part in 10000. Other examples of its use included here are strains surrounding indents in silicon, mapping the stress concentration at grain boundaries ahead of dislocation pile ups and dislocation generation at grain boundaries due to strain ahead of nano indentations. An application is presented to distinguish the c axis direction in slightly tetragonal PZT crystals and developments in obtaining absolute strain measurement as opposed to the relative strain measurement currently the norm are discussed.

Highlights

Considering that the Electron Back Scatter Diffraction technique, EBSD, features in more than 60% of the papers published in the current conference proceedings, this review concentrates on the most recent development in the last ten years, that is, High Resolution EBSD
The paper, ‘On Line Microtexture Determination Using Backscatter Electron Kikuchi Diffraction in a Scanning Electron Microscope’ was the first in which the EBSD technique was described at an ICOTOM meeting, Dingley 1987 [1]
30 years later, over 60% of the papers at the ICTOM meetings are applications of the EBSD technique and in excess of 1000 papers are published annually in which it is a major tool used in the investigation

Summary

Historical Note

The paper, ‘On Line Microtexture Determination Using Backscatter Electron Kikuchi Diffraction in a Scanning Electron Microscope’ was the first in which the EBSD technique was described at an ICOTOM meeting, Dingley 1987 [1] In it the concept of direct crystal orientation measurement using a scanning electron microscope rather than the universally used x-ray diffraction methods was presented. To degrade that information to pole figures, showing the statistics of orientation of crystal planes, and not of crystals, is a criminal disregard of significant information.” He would have been pleased that true orientation maps are not the normal method of orientation representation the alternative representation of the data in the form of inverse pole figure maps, Adams et al 1993 [3] is so demonstrative that it has made EBSD a universally adopted tool in materials science. For comparison a High Resolution KAM is shown alongside to demonstrate the improved angular sensitivity possible using the advanced technique

The basis of HR EBSD

Testing accuracy

Absolute strain measurement

Conclusions

Findings

10. References