Constraints on the Effective Electron Energy Spectrum in Backscatter Kikuchi Diffraction

TL;DR

This paper investigates the electron energy spectrum involved in backscatter Kikuchi diffraction in SEM, using experimental data and simulations to improve understanding and modeling of pattern formation.

Contribution

It introduces a pattern matching approach to better constrain the effective electron energy spectrum in EBSD, enhancing pattern simulation accuracy.

Findings

Improved constraints on the Kikuchi pattern energy spectrum.

Enhanced accuracy in high-resolution EBSD pattern simulations.

Better understanding of electron scattering in backscatter diffraction.

Abstract

Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is a technique to obtain microcrystallographic information from materials by collecting large-angle Kikuchi patterns in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). An important fundamental question concerns the scattering-angle dependent electron energy distribution which is relevant for the formation of the Kikuchi diffraction patterns. Here we review the existing experimental data and explore the effective energy spectrum that is operative in the generation of backscatter Kikuchi patterns from silicon. We use a full pattern comparison of experimental data with dynamical electron diffraction simulations. Our energy-dependent cross-correlation based pattern matching approach establishes improved constraints on the effective Kikuchi pattern energy spectrum which is relevant for high-resolution EBSD pattern simulations and their applications.