EBSDtälike

EBSDtälike is a term used to describe a class of techniques that are EBSD-like but incorporate a tilt-sensitive data acquisition strategy to enhance crystallographic orientation mapping in polycrystalline materials. The concept builds on electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), which uses Kikuchi patterns generated by backscattered electrons to determine local crystal orientation. In EBSDtälike approaches, the instrument collects diffraction data at multiple controlled tilt angles of the sample, or uses a detector geometry designed to emulate a tilt series, allowing improved sampling of orientation information, better discrimination of overlapping patterns, and enhanced detection of minority phases or very small grains.

Methodologically, EBSDtälike data are processed with standard EBSD indexing methods, with the tilt-angle information fused using statistical or model-based algorithms to produce orientation and phase maps, as well as three-dimensional reconstructions when combined with serial sectioning or depth-sensitive techniques. The multi-angle data can improve pattern quality, reduce indexing ambiguity, and provide more robust misorientation statistics in complex microstructures.

Applications of EBSDtälike are primarily in materials science and metallurgy research, where improved resolution of grain boundaries, phase differentiation, and orientation distributions can aid studies of recrystallization, deformation, and phase transformations. Limitations include longer acquisition times, increased data volume, and the need for careful calibration of tilt geometry and data fusion algorithms. As a concept, EBSDtälike remains exploratory, with varying definitions across laboratories and no single standardized protocol.

See also: Electron backscatter diffraction, OIM/analysis software, transmission Kikuchi diffraction, electron channeling contrast imaging.