Elastic strain tensor measurement using electron backscatter diffraction in the SEM.

The established electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique for obtaining crystallographic information in the SEM has been adapted to permit elastic strain measurement. Basically, the displacement of crystallographic features in an EBSD pattern, such as zone axes, which result from strain in a crystal, is determined by comparing those same features as they appear in a pattern from an unstrained region of the crystal. The comparison is made by cross-correlation of selected regions in the two patterns. Tests show that the sensitivity to displacement measurement is 1 part in 10 000, which translates to a strain sensitivity of 2 parts in 10 000. Eight components of the strain tensor are determined directly and the ninth is calculated using the fact that the free surface of the sample is traction-free. Examples discussed are taken from studies of a lenticular fracture in germanium, the strain distribution surrounding a carbide precipitate in a nickel base alloy and grain boundary studies in another nickel base alloy.

High-resolution elastic strain measurement from electron backscatter diffraction patterns: new levels of sensitivity.

In this paper, we demonstrate that the shift between similar features in two electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns can be measured using cross-correlation based methods to +/- 0.05 pixels. For a scintillator screen positioned to capture the usual large solid angle employed in EBSD orientation mapping this shift corresponds to only approximately 8.5 x 10(-5)rad at the pattern centre. For wide-angled EBSD patterns, the variation in the entire strain and rotation tensor can be determined from single patterns. Repeated measurements of small rotations applied to a single-crystal sample, determined using the shifts at four widely separated parts of the EBSD patterns, showed a standard deviation of 1.3 x 10(-4) averaged over components of the displacement gradient tensor. Variations in strains and rotations were measured across the interface in a cross-sectioned Si1-x Gex epilayer on a Si substrate. Expansion of the epilayer close to the section surface is accommodated by tensile strains and lattice curvature that extend a considerable distance into the substrate. Smaller and more localised shear strains are observed close to the substrate-layer interface. EBSD provides an impressive and unique combination of high strain sensitivity, high spatial resolution and ease of use.