Application of electron backscatter diffraction to grain boundary characterisation

This review documents the application of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in a scanning electron microscope to studies of grain boundaries. The EBSD technique is now applied routinely for the rapid measurement of crystallographic orientations, generally known as 'microtexture', in a variety of materials. Processing methodology and interpretation of EBSD data for interface studies require a different approach and different nomenclature to those for microtexture. After covering briefly the general principles of EBSD, this review therefore describes in detail EBSD data acquisition relevant to grain boundary characterisation, descriptions of interfaces, and both standard and advanced EBSD data processing. The approach taken is to highlight and explain the principles, issues, and pitfalls associated with the application of EBSD to grain boundaries. Finally, some suggestions are made for good practice in application of EBSD to grain boundaries.