Recent Advances in EBSD Characterization of Metals

Íris Carneiro,Sónia Simões

doi:10.3390/met10081097

Abstract

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has been attracting enormous interest in the microstructural characterization of metals in recent years. This characterization technique has several advantages over conventional ones, since it allows obtaining a wide range of characterization possibilities in a single method, which is not possible in others. The grain size, crystallographic orientation, texture, and grain boundary character distribution can be obtained by EBSD analysis. Despite the limited resolution of this technique (20–50 nm), EBSD is powerful, even for nanostructured materials. Through this technique, the microstructure can be characterized at different scales and levels with a high number of microstructural characteristics. It is known that the mechanical properties are strongly related to several microstructural aspects such as the size, shape, and distribution of grains, the presence of texture, grain boundaries character, and also the grain boundary plane distribution. In this context, this work aims to describe and discuss the possibilities of microstructural characterization, recent advances, the challenges in sample preparation, and the application of the EBSD in the characterization of metals.

Highlights

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a microstructural characterization technique that provides crystallographic information in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
In the last five years, the microstructural characterization of metals has evolved significantly due to the increased use of the EBSD technique
The EBSD technique is versatile in the materials it can characterize, and it enhances microstructural characterization in the most diverse research areas

Summary

Introduction

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a microstructural characterization technique that provides crystallographic information in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The quality of the diffraction patterns, which influences the confidence of the indexing, strongly depends on the sample preparation. The preparation for EBSD is very challenging and time-consuming, since the samples must be perfectly flat and without damage at the surface to obtain high-quality Kikuchi patterns. Regarding the resolution of this technique, it depends on several factors, namely the sample preparation, the SEM equipment to be used, and the type of material to be analyzed. EBSD samples are typically tilted toward the detector by 70◦ , as can be seen, and the resolution down the tilted surface is approximately three times worse EBSD samples are typically tilted toward the detector by 70◦ , as can be seen in Figure 1, and the resolution down the tilted surface is approximately three times worse

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