Advances in electron backscatter diffraction for the characterisation of interfaces

This aper describes state-of-the-art analysis of grain boundary populations by EBSD, with particular attention paid to advanced, non-standard analysis. The capability and versatility of EBSD for the characterisation of interfaces is emphasised. The discussion is focussed on boundaries in face-centred cubic metals, since the majority of work has been carried out on this subset of materials. Data processing based both on misorientation alone and customised additions which include the boundary planes are described. Although commercial EBSD packages offer data processing options for interfaces, it is clear that there is a wealth of more in-depth data that can be gleaned from further analysis. In particular, determination of all five degrees of freedom of the boundary population provides an exciting opportunity to study grain boundaries by EBSD in a depth that was hitherto impossible.