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Mechanical Engineering
Microstructure Research

High Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffraction

High resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) uses cross-correlation techniques to extract unprecedented levels of microstructural data from EBSD patterns taken from a scanning electron microscope. Simulated patterns are compared with real patterns taken from the sample to determine atomic lattice structure. Lattice elastic strains and dislocation structure can be resolved, along with improved phase identification. The analysis software has been released as an open source code called OpenXY.

Region of interest (ROI) highlighted in a reference-simulated pattern (left), and real silicon EBSD pattern with the corresponding ROI marked for comparison via cross correlation.

Dislocation structure under a wedge indent in single-crystal nickel, mapped using HR-EBSD

Selected publications from these research areas include:

  • Adams B.L., Kalidindi S.R., Fullwood D.T., Microstructure Sensitive Design for Performance Optimization, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2012. doi:10.1016/j.pmatsci.2009.08.002
  • Ruggles T.J., Fullwood D.T., Kysar J., Resolving geometrically necessary dislocation density onto individual dislocation types using EBSD-based continuum dislocation microscopy, International Journal of Plasticity, 76 (2016), 231-243. doi:10.1016/j.ijplas.2015.08.005
  • Khosravani A., Fullwood D.T., Scott J., Miles M., Mishra R., Nucleation and propagation of      twins in AZ31 magnesium alloy, Acta Materialia, 100 (2015), 202-214. doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2015.08.024
  • Fullwood D., Vaudin M., Daniels C., Ruggles T., Wright S.I., Validation of Kinematically Simulated Pattern HR-EBSD for Measuring Absolute Strains and Lattice Tetragonality, Materials Characterization, 107 (2015), 270-277. doi:10.1016/j.matchar.2015.07.017
  • Hardin T.J., Ruggles T.J., Koch D.P., Niezgoda S.R., Fullwood D.T., Homer E.R., Analysis of Traction-Free Assumption in High-Resolution EBSD Measurements, Journal of Microscopy, 260 (2015), Issue 1, 73-85. doi:10.1111/jmi.12268
  • Sorensen C., Basinger J.A., Fullwood D.T., Nowell M.M., Full Grain Boundary Character Recovery from 2D EBSD Data, Met Trans A, 45 (9) (2014), 4165-4172. doi:10.1007/s11661-014-2345-7
  • Ruggles T.J., Fullwood D.T., Estimations of Bulk Geometrically Necessary Dislocation Density Using High Resolution EBSD, Ultramicroscopy, 133 (2013), 8-15. doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2013.04.011
  • Basinger J., Fullwood D., Kacher J., Adams B., Pattern Center Determination in EBSD Microscopy, Microscopy and Microanalysis, 17 (2011), 330-340. doi:10.1017/S1431927611000389
  • Kacher J., Landon C., Adams B.L., Fullwood D.T., Bragg’s Law Diffraction Simulations for Electron Backscatter Diffraction Analysis, Ultramicroscopy, 109 (2009), Issue 9, 1148-1156. doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2009.04.007