EBSD

EBSD Explained

From data acquisition to advanced analysis

Introduction

Basics of EBSD

Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is a scanning

electron microscope (SEM) based technique that gives
crystallographic information about the microstructure
of a sample. In EBSD, a stationary electron beam
interacts with a tilted crystalline sample and the
diffracted electrons form a pattern that can be detected
with a fluorescent screen. The diffraction pattern is
characteristic of the crystal structure and orientation in
the sample region where it was generated. Hence the
diffraction pattern can be used to determine the crystal
orientation, discriminate between crystallographically
different phases, characterise grain boundaries,
and provide information about the local crystalline
perfection.
When the electron beam is scanned in a grid across
a polycrystalline sample and the crystal orientation is
measured at each point, the resulting map reveals the
grain morphology, orientations and boundaries. This
data can also be used to show the preferred crystal
orientation (i.e. texture) within the sample. Thus
a complete and quantitative representation of the
microstructure can be established with EBSD.

EBSD has become a well established accessory for

the SEM, which is used to provide crystallographic
information routinely. As a result, EBSD is now being
applied in numerous different application areas to assist
in materials characterisation, as shown by the table
below.
Sample preparation is critical to obtaining good EBSD
results; a deformation-free surface is required to yield
good electron backscattered diffraction patterns
(EBSPs). More information on this subject is available on
www.ebsd.com.
This guide describes how an EBSD system works,
and gives examples of the type of results EBSD can
generate.
Cover: Equal Channel Angular Pressed (ECAP) deformed
Al alloy showing the Inverse Pole Figure Z direction on top

Principle system components

A typical EBSD setup (Fig. 1) consists of:

A crystalline sample tilted to 70 from horizontal,

Electronics to control the SEM, including the beam

A phosphor screen, which is fluoresced by the

A computer to control the EBSD experiments,

and stage movements.

by use of the SEM stage or a pretilted holder.

collect and analyse the diffraction patterns, and

display the results.

electrons scattered from the sample.

A sensitive camera together with optics for viewing

Optional forescatter diodes (FSD) mounted around

the pattern formed on the phosphor screen.

the phosphor screen, which are used to generate

microstructure images of the sample before
collecting EBSD data.

An insertion mechanism, which accurately controls

the position of the detector when it is in use, and

retracts the detector to a safe position when its not
in use to prevent interference with SEM operation.

Cam

era

SEM Column

of the pattern quality, with high angle boundaries in black

and low angle (3-10) in grey. Step size 7.5 nm. Courtesy:
Morgan Tort (University of Melbourne) and Pat Trimby

Forescatter diodes
Phosphor screen

(University of Sydney).

EBSD

Industries

Materials

Typical EBSD Measurements

Metals research and processing

Metals, Alloys

Grain size

Aerospace

Intermetallics

Grain boundary characterisation

Automotive

Inclusions / precipitates / 2nd phases

Global texture

Nuclear

Ceramics

Local texture

Microelectronics

Thin Films

CSL boundary charcterisation

Earth Science

Solar Cells

Recrystallised / deformed fractions

Academia

Geological

Substructure analysis

Semiconductors

Phase identification

Superconductors

Phase fractions / distributions

Ice

Phase transformation

Metal / ceramic composites

Fracture analysis

Bone, teeth

Orientation & misorientation

Dete

ctor

SEM Stage

Controller

relationships between grains / phases

Table 1. A summary of the different application areas and the typical types of measurement made using EBSD.

2 EBSD Explained

Fig. 1. The principle components of an EBSD system.

EBSD Explained 3

Basics of EBSD...
Pattern formation and detection

Band intensity

The following model describes the principle features of pattern formation and detection for EBSD analysis. A beam
of electrons is directed at a point of interest on a tilted crystalline sample. The atoms in the material inelastically
scatter a fraction of the electrons, with a small loss of energy, to form a divergent source of electrons close to
the surface of the sample. Some of these electrons are incident on atomic planes at angles that satisfy the Bragg
equation:

The mechanisms giving rise to the Kikuchi band intensities and profile shapes are complex. As an approximation,
the intensity of a Kikuchi band for the plane (hkl) is given by:

where n is an integer, is the wavelength of the electrons, d is the spacing of the diffracting plane, and the angle
of incidence of the electrons on the diffracting plane.
These electrons are diffracted to form a set of paired large-angle cones that correspond to each diffracting plane.
The image produced on the phosphor screen contains characteristic Kikuchi bands which are formed where the
regions of enhanced electron intensity intersect the screen (Fig. 2). The pattern seen is a gnomonic projection of the
diffracted cone, making the band edges appear hyperbolic.

where fi() is the atomic scattering factor for electrons and ( xi yi zi ) are the fractional coordinates in the unit cell for atom i. A
collected diffraction pattern should be compared with a simulated pattern calculated using the previous equation.
This ensures only planes that produce visible Kikuchi bands are used when solving the diffraction pattern. The
optimum number of reflectors to use depends on the phases that the system needs to distinguish between, and on
the crystal symmetry of the phases.

Interpreting the diffraction pattern

The centre lines of the Kikuchi bands correspond
to where the diffracting planes intersect with the
phosphor screen. Hence, each Kikuchi band can be
indexed by the Miller indices of the diffracting crystal
plane which formed it. The intersections of the Kikuchi
bands correspond to zone axes in the crystal. The
semi-angle of the diffracted cones of electrons is
(90-). For EBSD, this is a large angle so the Kikuchi
bands approximate to straight lines. For example, the
wavelength of 20 kV electrons is 0.00859 nm and the
spacing of the (111) plane in Aluminium is 0.233 nm,
making the cone semi-angle 88.9.

The width w of the Kikuchi bands close to the pattern

centre is given by:

where l is the distance from the sample to the screen.

Hence, planes with wide d-spacings give thinner Kikuchi
bands than narrow planes. Because the diffraction
pattern is bound to the crystal structure of the sample,
as the crystal orientation changes, the resultant
diffraction pattern also changes. The positions of the
Kikuchi bands can therefore be used to calculate the
orientation of the diffracting crystal (Fig. 3).

A) The cones (green and blue) generated by electrons from a

divergent source which satisfy the Bragg equation on a single
lattice plane. These cones project onto the phosphor screen, and
form the Kikuchi bands which are visible in the EBSP.

B) The generated EBSP.

Fig. 2. The formation of the electron backscattered diffraction pattern (EBSP).

4 EBSD Explained

Fig. 3. The spherical diffraction patterns generated by different orientations of a cubic structure.

EBSD Explained 5

Basics of EBSD...
Calibrating an EBSD system
In order for an EBSD system to work correctly, it must
first be calibrated. Typically, the EBSD system calibration
involves measuring the sample-to-screen distance and
the pattern-centre position on the phosphor screen.
The pattern centre is the point on the screen closest to
the generation point of the diffraction pattern on the
sample.

Basics of automated indexing

Using image correlation, it is then possible to identify
the pattern centre.
In a modern EBSD system the calibration is automated,
so the system can be used seamlessly at any geometry
and by any user.

There are several methods for calibrating an EBSD

system. The preferred method is to collect diffraction
patterns from the same point on a sample with the
detector placed at different insertion positions (Fig. 4).

AZtecHKL
Once an EBSD system has been calibrated, it
becomes possible to automatically index the
diffraction patterns and calculate the crystal
At a glance...
orientation. This is typically accomplished using
the following steps:

point (, ) in Hough space (Fig. 5). The Kikuchi bands appear

as bright regions or peaks in Hough space, which are easily
detected and used to calculate the original band positions (Fig. 6).
r

1. The diffraction pattern is transferred from

the camera inside the detector to the EBSD

software.
2. The Hough transform is used to calculate the

positions of the Kikuchi bands.

3. Having identified the Kikuchi band positions

and from knowing the calibrated geometry,

it is possible to calculate the angles between
the detected bands.
4. The calculated angles are compared with

a list of interplanar angles for the analysed

structure(s).

Fig. 5. The Hough transform converts lines into points in Hough space.

5. The possible solutions are sorted to find

the best fit and the orientation matrix is

calculated.
This whole process is automatic and takes less
than a few milliseconds on modern computers.

The Hough transform

The Hough transform, which is used to identify
the positions of the Kikuchi bands, converts
the image from the EBSD camera into a
representation in Hough space, by using the
following relation between the points (x, y) in the
diffraction pattern and the coordinates (, ) of
the Hough space:
Fig. 4. The pattern centre is found by correlating features on the EBSPs at different detector positions. The pattern centre is the zoom point on
those EBSPs - the one point which does not move when the detector moves.

6 EBSD Explained

Fig. 6. Finding the position of the Kikuchi bands in the diffraction pattern using
the Hough transform.
A) Diffraction pattern collected from silicon at 20kV accelerating voltage;

= x cos + y sin

B) The peaks in the Hough transform identified and coloured;

A straight line in the image space (x, y) can be

characterised by , the perpendicular distance
from the line to origin and , the angle made
with the x-axis, and can be presented by a single

D) The indexed diffraction pattern with the blue cross indicating the position of
the pattern centre.

C) The bands in the original diffraction pattern corresponding to the peaks

found in the Hough transform and coloured similarly;

EBSD Explained 7

EBSD Developments

EDS Detector
Pole Piece

The band detection in modern systems uses a

sophisticated algorithm which automatically determines
which of the detected bands are best used in the
indexing. This method applies a weighting function
based on the bands average intensity and the position
of the band within the area of interest - the area of the
EBSP used for band detection. Higher priority is given
to those bands at or near the centre of the area of
interest, and therefore bands which are more reliably
detected are used in the indexing, thus making the
indexing more robust.

FSD

EBSD Detector

Band detection
Band detection is a fundamentally important aspect
of EBSD and is critical in terms of data quality.
Improvements in band detection can increase the
number of correctly indexed points, especially for
materials that exhibit indistinct bands or have low
quality patterns, such as those consisting of highly
strained or partially recovered microstructures.

the solutions into smaller blocks, which are then the

foundations of the indexing. Using this method, the
routine is far more robust and can find the correct
solution even when one or more bands are non-coherent.
There have traditionally always been difficulties when
using EBSD to distinguish phases with similar crystal
structures because the technique generally uses only
the angles between the bands to identify the phase.
One technique that can aid in these situations is to use
the difference in lattice parameter (or band width). If
sufficient, it is possible to use the difference in the band
widths to distinguish these phases.

Sample

50 mm

Na

Al

Fe

Without TruPhase

With TruPhase

However, in reality neither pattern nor band detection

are always perfect. Pattern quality may be poor,
patterns may be overlapping, bands will be missed, and
so indexing needs to be robust.

An alternative is to combine the EBSD indexing routine

with input information based on the sample chemistry,
by simultaneously collecting EDS (Energy Dispersive
Spectrometry) and EBSD data, for example through
the AZtec TruPhase routine (Fig. 7). This can be used
when both EDS and EBSD are suitably setup on the
SEM, allowing both to work in the same geometry at
the same time. The TruPhase routine correlates the
measured spectra acquired during mapping against
predefined spectra for the phases of interest.

Indexing routines

Refined accuracy

The indexing routine is critical to achieve accurate

data. The challenge is to achieve a high validated hit
rate without generating false positive solutions, where
EBSPs are solved but with the wrong solution. In
addition, automated routines can be very sensitive to
non-fitting bands, such as those that might occur at a
grain boundary. Therefore, the algorithm applied in the
indexing must be robust enough to handle inaccuracies
in band detection and identify the correct solution.

Correct identification of orientation relies on accurate

detection of band positions and therefore indexing.
When highest precision misorientation measurements
are required (e.g. characterisation of subtle sub-grain
structures), the Refined Accuracy* mode in AZtec can
be used. It significantly improves on the precision of
misorientation measurement compared to conventional
(Hough-based) methods, without dramatically affecting
speed.

Fig 7. Combined EDS and EBSD analysis of a

geological sample. This area of the sample
contains 3 mineral phases: albite, biotite
and muscovite mica. Biotite and muscovite
mica have very similar crystal structures and
therefore can be difficult to differentiate on
the basis of traditional EBSD.

A method called Class Indexing examines

permutations of four bands, and considers band
coherence (where the measured bands and reference
crystal reflectors are in agreement) and non-coherence
(where the measured bands and the reference crystal
reflectors are not in agreement). These four-band
combinations enable the indexing routine to break

After a primary, Hough-based band detection, Refined

Accuracy employs a secondary band refinement, which
fits the simulated band to the actual band in the EBSP
itself (taking into consideration the profile of the band
edges). The band position (parameters r and q) is thus
more accurately determined, leading to better precision
in orientation measurement.

A) The relative positioning of the sample, EDS and EBSD detectors inside the SEM chamber.
B) A forescatter diode (FSD) image of the area of the sample being analysed.
C) Na element map, the highest concentration is found in albite.
D) Al element map, the highest concentration is found in muscovite.
E) Fe element map, the highest concentration is found in biotite.
F) A phase map acquired using traditional EBSD. Due to their similar crystal structures, biotite and muscovite are poorly differentiated, resulting
in a speckled appearance.
G) A phase map acquired using the TruPhase routine in AZtec where EDS data is collected simultaneously to EBSD data and used to inform the
solution given for the EBSP. This method successfully differentiates the biotite and muscovite mica in the sample.

8 EBSD Explained

* patent pending

Sample courtesy of
Dr Elisabetta Mariani,
University of Liverpool.

EBSD Explained 9

EBSD Data acquisition

A common first step in characterising a sample is to
overview the microstructure and identify regions of
interest for further analysis. On an SEM, this normally
means using the SE (secondary electron) or BSE
(backscatter electron) detectors to generate images.
When working with samples in the tilted geometry, it
is not always possible to use the BSE detector, and the
SE detector is not always in the ideal geometry. This
means that the signal for both these detectors might
be compromised. To optimise imaging at this geometry
EBSD detectors often have FSD diodes fitted above and
below the phosphor screen.

Forescatter diodes (FSD)

FSD diodes can be used for imaging, and, due to
their position around the EBSD detector, they detect
electrons that have interacted with the sample
in different ways. This leads to different contrast
mechanisms and different images (Fig. 8). The upper
diodes primarily detect backscatter electrons (largeangle scattering), which means that the images
generated by the upper diodes are dominated by
atomic-number contrast, hence revealing variations in
chemistry. The lower diodes primarily detect electrons
that have gone through a low-angle scattering coming
from the interaction with the lattice, leading to images
generated based on orientation contrast.

PhaseID

Phase discrimination

In order for an EBSD system to index an EBSP, it needs

to know which phase(s) to index against. Therefore the
first step of the analysis is to identify the phases that are
present in the sample.

The detected Kikuchi pattern is generated by the electron beam interacting with the crystal structure in the surface
layer of the sample. This means that the EBSP carries information about the crystal structure it was generated from.
By analysing the EBSP, we can get information not just about the orientation of the crystal but also information that
makes it possible to distinguish between different crystal structures, and hence phases. An example is shown in Fig. 9.

If the EBSD system is not integrated with an EDS

system, the user must know beforehand what phases
are present in the sample, either from EDS analysis
undertaken independently or from the history of the
sample. Using this knowledge, the user can generate
a list of possible phases. However, the list might
not be complete or it might contain phases that are
not actually in the sample. To check which phases
are present, the FSD image is a useful reference for
collecting reference EBSPs from the different areas and
checking those EBSPs against the manually generated
list of phases.
If the EBSD and EDS systems are integrated and
installed in a suitable geometry on the SEM, it is
possible to use the FSD image as a reference, and place
the beam on each of the potential phases to acquire an
EBSP and an EDS spectrum at the same time. For each
beam position, the system can search available crystal
structure databases for entries that match the chemistry
of the phase, as determined from the obtained EDS
spectrum. These candidate phases will then be used for
indexing the collected EBSP, and the outcome is that the
system identifies the structure based on both chemical
and crystallographic information.
It is also possible to use chemical element maps as a
reference. However, it is often better to use the FSD
images because they contain information about the
grain structure, which makes it possible to identify
smaller particles, and helps to ensure that the beam is
placed within a grain and not on a boundary.

Fig. 9. The discrimination of the two phases present in a sample of tungsten hardened alloy. A) A phase map showing the two separate phases
(Ni is shown in red and W in blue). B) A typical EBSP obtained for W. C ) A typical EBSP for Ni.

Typically EBSPs are analysed by looking at the angles between the detected bands. If only this information is used,
then it is possible to distinguish between phases that have different unit cell structures as long as one structure is
not just a scaling of another (Fig. 10).
Modern systems can extract information about the width of the bands within the EBSPs, which helps to distinguish
between phases of same structure type but different lattice parameters.

EBSP symmetry results from the lattice symmetry

- Crystal system. Laue group, space group.

To build a crystal
- Start with unit cell
- Add a basis
- Repeat ad infinitum...

Unit cell
Basis

(uvw) is a crystal direction.

<uvw> is a family of directions.
(hkl) is a crystal plane.
<hkl> is a family of planes.

Fig. 8. The positioning of the forescatter diodes

and examples of the images collected from a
geological sample by the upper and lower diodes.

10 EBSD Explained

Fig. 10. The scaling of unit cell structures.

EBSD Explained 11

EBSD Data acquisition...

Typical data presentations

Point analysis

PhaseMap

It is important to check that the

EBSPs are of a reasonable quality
before starting to collect data
from a sample (e.g. a map). If the
EBSPs look reasonable, the next
step is to check the band detection
settings and that the EBSP can be
successfully indexed based on the
phases in the phase list. By manually
repeating these steps at different
beam positions, it is also possible
to get a quick overview of the
microstructure.

Based on the saved information, it is possible to generate different map displays. For example, it is easy to generate
a map showing how the phases are distributed within the sample. This can be done by assigning a colour to each
phase, and colouring the map pixel based on which phase was found during the analysis (e.g. Fig. 9).

An example is shown (Fig. 11)

where point analysis is used to
acquire data and determine the
orientation in a few selected
grains, which could be all the data
collection required if there are only
a few grains of interest within the
sample.

Combined FSD Image

177.3; 34.8; 44.4

120.1; 27.7; 80.6

Pattern quality map

Pattern quality values are typically calculated based on the intensity of the peaks (or peak profile) in the Hough
space, one way of calculating a pattern quality parameter p would be:

51.2; 28.7; 25.1

178.2; 25.6; 56.8

where hi is the peak height of the Hough transform of the ith most intense Kikuchi band, and sh is the standard
deviation of the Hough transform, however it is normally calculated in a more advanced way. The pattern quality
parameter will associate a number with how sharp or well defined the band positions are in the EBSP. This means
that the pattern quality (e.g. Fig. 12) will be influenced by several factors: phases, orientation, contamination,
sample preparation and the local crystalline perfection.

Fig. 11. Point analysis of grains in steel showing the diffraction pattern generated and the
calculated crystal orientation in Euler Angles.

Mapping
The typical sequence for manual point analysis is:
1. Position beam
2. Acquire EBSP
3. Detect bands
4. Index based on phase list
5. Save the result. At each beam position, the system typically saves:

Pattern quality values calculated based on the EBSP

Phase information
Orientation
Euler angles
MAD (Mean Angular Deviation) as a measure of the fit between EBSP and solution
EDS data, if the EBSD and EDS systems are integrated

When all the parameters have been setup, such that no further user intervention is required, this flow can be
automated to cover a large area of the sample. During mapping of the sample, the above sequence is carried out
for each beam position as the beam automatically moves across the sample surface.

12 EBSD Explained

50 mm

Fig. 12. A pattern quality map for a sample

of Ti64. Dark areas are indicative of poorer
pattern quality and light areas of higher
pattern quality.

Pattern quality maps will often reveal features invisible in the electron image such as grains, grain boundaries,
internal grain structure and surface damage such as scratches. This makes the pattern quality map very useful
during the analysis of the data but also as a simple tool for checking if the sample stayed in focus during the data
collection or if the sample drifted.

EBSD Explained 13

Typical data presentations...

...much easier to interpret and which normally doesnt have large colour changes when there are small changes in
orientation. The colour scheme is designed by assigning a colour to each of the corners of the inverse pole figure
(Fig. 15). For each map, a reference sample direction (like rolling direction) is chosen, and the colour is assigned
based on the measured crystal orientation and the chosen viewing direction.

Euler angles
The determined orientations are normally described
by a set of Euler angles. Euler angles are the
most commonly used way to describe the sample
orientation relative to the crystal, where each
crystal structure has been given a certain reference
orientation. This involves rotating one of the
coordinate systems about various axes until it comes
into coincidence with the other. There are several
conventions on how the rotations are to take place.
The most commonly used way is to use the Bunge
notation where the three Euler angles: (phi1, phi,
phi2) represent the following rotations, which are
shown schematically in Fig. 13:

1. rotation of phi1 about the z-axis followed by,

2. rotation of phi about the rotated x-axis followed by,
3. rotation of phi2 about the rotated z-axis

Fig. 13. Euler angles and rotations.

B
D

Orientation maps
The simplest way of generating an
orientation map is by plotting the
3 Euler angles using an RGB colour
scheme; this is often referred to as
an Euler map (Fig. 14).
The Euler coloured maps give
a basic presentation of the
microstructure. However there are
limitations of the Euler maps. One
of the issues is that small orientation
changes dont always correspond to
small changes on the colour scale,
which can cause confusion when
looking at an Euler map.
To accommodate these issues,
a different type of map display
is often used. The Inverse Pole
Figure (IPF) colour scheme uses a
different colour scheme, which is...

Colour wrapping appears as a

speckle - this is a characteristic
of Euler colouring.

50 mm
Fig. 15. Crystal orientation maps obtained for a sample of tungsten
hardened alloy (shown in Figs. 8 and 14) collected at 20 kV
accelerating voltage.

Fig. 14. An all Euler angle colouring orientation map for the sample of tungsten hardened
alloy shown in Fig. 9. Note the colour wrapping that is characteristic of Euler colouring.

A) X direction IPF colouring orientation map;

50 mm

B) Y direction IPF colouring orientation map;

50 mm

C) Z direction IPF colouring orientation map;

D) IPF colour key.

14 EBSD Explained

EBSD Explained 15

Typical data presentations...

When the misorientation angle is calculated, it is also possible to calculate the misorientation axis, as mentioned
earlier. This means that EBSD data can be used to identify specific or special boundaries defined not just by a
misorientation angle but by a combination of misorientation angle and misorientation axis. The most common
example would be twin boundaries, which are a subset of the coincident site lattice (CSL) boundaries. CSL
boundaries are special boundaries that fulfil the coincident site lattice criteria whereby the lattices are sharing some
of the lattice sites. CSLs are characterised by S, where S is the ratio of the CSL unit cell compared to the standard
unit cell. Two examples of CSL relationships are shown in Fig. 17.

Misorientations
EBSD has a significant advantage over many other microstructural characterisation techniques in that it can
measure the misorientation between two crystals (i.e. the difference in the orientation). In order to define a
misorientation, it is easiest to consider a triclinic crystal i.e. one that has no symmetry. For any two triclinic
crystals, there is a unique rotation axis and rotation angle which maps one crystal lattice onto the other. These
are referred to as the Misorientation Axis and the Misorientation Angle.
When the crystals in question have some symmetry, then there is no longer a unique axis-angle pair that
describes the misorientation between 2 crystal lattices. Depending on the symmetry, there may be up to 24
symmetrically equivalent axis-angle pairs that match 2 crystal lattices. It is not possible to determine which
of these different solutions is correct, and therefore it is convention to take the solution that has the lowest
misorientation angle (also referred to as the disorientation angle).

Grains and grain boundaries

A grain is a three-dimensional crystalline volume within a sample that differs in crystallographic orientation from
its surroundings but internally has little variation. To identify the grains within a dataset, it is required to define a
critical misorientation angle where all boundary segments with an angle higher than the defined critical angle are
to be considered grain boundaries. By measuring the misorientation between all pixel pairs, it is possible to identify
the boundaries enclosing the individual grains. If this information is used together with the phase information, then
it becomes possible to determine the grain size distributions from different phases within the sample.
Fig.17. A) The sigma 3 boundary (twin boundary) is a 60 rotation about the [111] direction. B) The sigma 5 boundary
is a 36.9 rotation about the [100] direction.

In a similar way, generating a map that shows the spatial distribution of the grain boundaries can often provide
additional information about the microstructure. A typical example would be to generate a map showing lowangle
A boundaries (which can give information about substructure of individual grains) together with high-angle
boundaries (which define the grain structure), Fig. 16.
A

CSL boundaries typically have a significant impact on the material properties, which means that from a materials
engineering viewpoint it becomes important to determine the ration of CSL boundaries and their distribution within
the material. An example from twinned nickel is in Fig. 18. As shown on the CSL histogram, the S3 boundary is the
most frequently occurring CSL boundary, which is also shown on the map where all the S3 (60, [111]) boundaries
are coloured red.

Texture
A

100 mm
Fig. 16. Grain boundary data for a sample of tungsten hardened alloy (shown in Fig. 9).
A) Grain boundary positions superimposed on the pattern quality image with grain boundaries higher than 2 degrees
highlighted in purple, higher than 10 degrees in black, and phase boundaries are in red;
B) Histogram of grain sizes from the Tungsten (W) phase. The average grain size is shown to be 17 m.

16 EBSD Explained

Fig. 18. CSL boundary data measured by EBSD for a Nickel sample.
A) Pattern quality map for a sample of Nickel;
B) Coincident site lattice (CSL) boundary positions superimposed on the previous pattern quality image;
C) The boundaries are colour coded by CSL type as shown in the histogram of CSL found.

EBSD Explained 17

In most materials, grains do not have a completely random orientation distribution, and when the distribution is
not random, the sample is said to have a preferred orientation or texture. Based on the orientation information
acquired from several points within each phase, it is possible to statistically check whether a given phase has a
preferred orientation. This can be done in several ways; one way would be to look at maps highlighting the points
with an orientation close to a specified reference orientation, referred to as texture maps. They can be very useful
because they contain information about the spatial distribution of the reference texture (Fig. 19).

Another approach is to generate pole figures for the identified phases, and to use the pole figures to reveal
information about the texture within a given phase. If there are several phases within the sample, pole figures can
easily be used to identify relationships between the orientations near the interface boundaries (Fig. 20).

50 mm

200 mm

Fig. 19. Area fractions for multiple reference textures for a sample of
cold rolled Al Mg alloy.

Fig. 20. Orientation relationship between Ti alpha and Ti beta.

A) Phase map of Ti 64 shows the phase distribution and one grain from each phase selected for further analysis; Ti alpha is red and Ti beta blue.
B) Pole figures from the selected Ti alpha grain.
C) Pole figures from the selected Ti beta grain.
D) Phase map plus band contrast and grain boundaries with Burgers orientation relationship {0001}//{011} and <2-1-10>//<11-1> in green.

18 EBSD Explained

EBSD Explained 19

Typical data presentations...

Pole figures

Inverse pole figures

Pole figures are tools for plotting 3D orientation information in 2D (such as on a sheet of paper or a computer
screen). They are useful for showing the orientations of specific crystallographic planes and directions within a
sample (i.e. for plotting the texture) and, as such, are invaluable for EBSD.

A pole figure plots crystallographic directions in the sample coordinate system, whereas an inverse pole figure plots
sample directions in the crystallographic coordinate system. For example, instead of plotting the <111> directions in
terms of the rolling direction (RD) and normal direction (ND), an inverse pole figure could plot the rolling direction
in terms of the major crystal directions (i.e. [100], [110] and [111]). Inverse pole figures have several benefits over
conventional pole figures, such as:

A pole figure shows the projected position of a particular set of crystallographic planes, where the poles (or
normals) have been projected onto a sphere and then onto a circle. There are two main methods for doing this, the
stereographic and equal area projection. This section explains the stereographic projection.
If we start with a single crystal, shown by the unit cell on the left in Fig. 21, it is orientated in a particular manner
relative to the sample, bottom left of Fig. 21.

Each data point appears as a single point in an inverse pole figure. In many pole figures, for higher symmetry
phases, a single data point may be represented by multiple points on the pole figure (e.g. 3 symmetrically
equivalent {100} poles).

It is often easier to pick out particular fibre textures using an inverse pole figure.
Inverse pole figures are often used as a default colouring scheme for orientation maps (by colouring the three
corners of the inverse pole figure triangle with the primary colours).

The appearance of an inverse pole figure depends on the Laue group of the relevant phase. This determines the
size of the unit triangle i.e. the symmetrically equivalent space in the whole stereographic projection. For
example, a triclinic crystal (Laue group 1) has no symmetry and therefore the whole pole figure is necessary to show
all the possible crystal directions. Therefore for triclinic structures, the inverse pole figure is like a pole figure a full
circle.
Fig. 21. The production of a stereographic projection for a single crystal (in this case a unit cell), which is orientated in a particular manner to
the sample.

The {100} plane normals, of which there are 6 for this cubic crystal, would project onto a sphere as shown in the
second drawing. A plane, parallel to the sample surface and passing through the centre of our sphere would
intersect the sphere as a circle.
We now join the points where the {100} plane normals touch the sphere to the spheres opposite pole. This is
shown in the third image. Note: only the upper hemisphere points are shown. It is possible to repeat the process
for the lower hemisphere points. In general, in materials science, it is conventional to plot in the upper hemisphere,
whereas in the Earth sciences the lower hemispheres are commonly used.
If we now look at just the circle, we will see that the three-dimensional crystallographic directions have been
converted into points. This is the {100} pole figure. This can be repeated with the orientations of other grains
to give a pole figure that shows the distribution of that particular set of planes within the sample. If there is a
tendency for the points to be arranged in a particular manner, then we have a texture.

20 EBSD Explained

As the symmetry of the structure increases, the size of the symmetrically equivalent region decreases until, for Laue
group 11 (cubic high), there are 24
symmetrically equivalent regions in
the full circle. This is shown in Fig.22,
with the standard unit triangle
highlighted in the IPF colouring
scheme.

Fig. 22. The 24 symmetrically

equivalent regions in the (high)
cubic inverse pole figure.

EBSD Explained 21

3D EBSD

Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD)

As shown by different examples, EBSD can provide information from the sample surface. However, there is often
a requirement to get the same type of information from a 3D volume to study grain structures, grain size and
interface boundaries. Depending on the dimensions of the volume of interest, this can be achieved in several ways.
For large scale features, it is possible to use mechanical sectioning techniques to expose a new surface at different
depths of the sample. For small scale features, it is not practical to take the sample out of the SEM chamber and
then reposition it to collect more data. One solution is to use an SEM combined with a focused ion beam (FIB-SEM),
where the ion column can be used to mill away the surface between each EBSD map.

Conventional EBSD is done on a tilted sample (Fig.

1), which typically means that the spatial resolution
is limited by the longer working distance (WD). This
longer WD is required in order to physically get the
tilted sample placed in a suitable geometry with respect
to the SEM pole piece and the EBSD detector. Secondly
and potentially more important, due to the high sample
tilt, the resolution in the direction perpendicular to the
tilt axis (downhill) is reduced by nearly a factor of 3 due
to the enlarged interaction volume.

To automate this process, the sample must be placed

in a geometry suitable for milling, with the ion beam
parallel to the sample surface and suitable for EBSD
data collection (Fig. 23). Depending on the design
of the system, this might involve moving the sample
automatically between two working geometries.

To improve the spatial resolution within the EBSD

data, it is advisable to use lower probe currents, lower
kV, and to try to work at a shorter WD to improve
the spatial resolution of the SEM. There are however
practical limits to how the sample can physically be
positioned. Reducing the kV or current requires a more

By repeating the process of acquiring an EBSD dataset

and exposing a new surface, it is possible to generate
a 3D representation of the microstructure within the

sensitive EBSD detector, otherwise the data acquisition time increases significantly, which leads to drift and stability
problems.

analysed volume. To get a good resolution of the data,

it is often required to have data from several tens of
slices (potentially more than a hundred) which can make
it a time-consuming process.
An example from a dataset collected with a step size
of 0.2 mm in the x, y and z directions is shown in
Fig.24. As shown, this technique can be useful to study
boundaries and grain shapes.

Fig. 25. The geometry of a system set up for TKD. Thinned samples
are mounted horizontally in the SEM chamber and positioned towards
the top of the EBSD detectors phosphor screen.

Recently an alternative technique to improve the spatial resolution has been demonstrated, and is becoming
popular. The technique is called Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD or t-EBSD), and it makes use of a
conventional EBSD system, however with the sample placed in a different geometry (Fig. 25).

Fig. 23. Schematic showing an example of the EBSD geometry for a

FIB-SEM used for 3D-EBSD analysis.

For TKD, the sample must be thinned so that it is electron transparent (as for TEM). In this case, the scattering
event takes place on the lower surface of the sample as the electron beam exits from the sample. This means that
the sample can be placed at a shorter WD than for conventional EBSD, which in itself gives an improvement in
the spatial resolution. Secondly, due to the geometry, it is generally not required to tilt the sample more than 10
degrees (dependent on the setup) to be able to collect a good collection geometry while keeping the EBSD detector
in its normal geometry. Again, this leads to an improvement in spatial resolution.
TKD is still a new technique but it has already proven very useful for acquiring orientation data from materials with
a small grain size or high level of deformation, as shown by the maps on the front cover and the back page
(Fig. 26).

Fig. 24. Example shows 3D EBSD analysis through a Cu sample;

A) Reconstructed and processed 3D orientation map;
B) Cross-sections in X, Y and Z planes;
C) A single grain selected and highlighted.

22 EBSD Explained

EBSD Explained 23

1 mm

Fig. 26. TKD characterisation of a deformed duplex stainless steel sample.

A) The pattern quality map showing the fine grain size and the significantly poorer quality patterns in certain areas.
B) The phase map which shows ferrite (BCC) in red and austenite (FCC) in blue, and highlights that the poorer quality patterns are associated
with the areas occupied by the FCC phase, in which the TKD technique can resolve only the larger grains.
C) The orientation map that shows the lack of texture in this sample, but also shows the deformation within the larger grains (> 100 nm)
exhibited by substantial intra-grain orientation variations.
Data courtesy: Pat Trimby, Yang Cao and Saritha Samudrala, University of Sydney.

www.oxford-instruments.com/EBSD
The materials presented here are summary in nature, subject to change, and intended for general information only.
Additional details are available. Oxford Instruments NanoAnalysis is certified to ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS
18001. AZtec and Tru-I are Registered Trademarks of Oxford Instruments plc, all other trademarks acknowledged.
Oxford Instruments plc, 2015. All rights reserved. Document reference: OINA/EBSD Explained/0215.