Multislice calculation of Kikuchi patterns

Abstract

The diffraction of the inelastically and pseudo-elastically scattered electrons in a crystal gives rise to the diffuse background in a diffraction pattern, including Kikuchi patterns as they are known, which are very sensitive to the direction of electron incidence relative to the crystal orientation. In the exact zone orientation, i.e., when the electrons are travelling along a major zone axis, a Kikuchi-band pattern is formed which reflects the crystal symmetry about that axis; otherwise, the pattern is known as Kikuchi-line pattern (thereafter collectively referred to as K-patterns).For localized inelastic events, such as interactions of incident electrons with shell electrons and various crystal point defects, in which intra-process coherence is negligible, the K-patterns can be simulated using the method described below.An inelastic event creates a spherical wave which, however, is strongly peaked in the forward direction of electron traveling, as given by the typical form f(θ)e-kr/r, where symbols have their usual meanings.