| Title | Energy-resolved EBSD using a monolithic direct electron detector |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2025 |
| Authors | Ventura NMDella, Moore K, Echlin MLP, Begley MR, Pollock TM, De Graef M, Gianola DS |
| Abstract | Accurate quantification of the energy distribution of backscattered electrons (BSEs) contributing to electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns remains as an active challenge. This study introduces an energy-resolved EBSD methodology based on a monolithic active pixel sensor direct electron detector and an electron-counting algorithm to enable the energy quantification of individual BSEs, providing direct measurements of electron energy spectra within diffraction patterns. Following detector calibration of the detector signal as a function of primary beam energy, measurements using a 12 keV primary beam on Si(100) reveal a broad BSE energy distribution across the diffraction pattern, extending down to 3 keV. Furthermore, an angular dependence in the weighted average BSE energy is observed, closely matching predictions from Monte Carlo simulations. Pixel-resolved energy maps reveal subtle modulations at Kikuchi band edges, offering insights into the backscattering process. By applying energy filtering within spectral windows as narrow as 2 keV centered on the primary beam energy, significant enhancement in pattern clarity and high-frequency detail is observed. Notably, electrons in the 2–8 keV range, despite having undergone substantial energy loss (ΔE = 4–10 keV), still produce Kikuchi patterns. By enabling energy determination at the single-electron level, this approach introduces a versatile tool-set for expanding the quantitative capabilities of EBSD, thereby offering the potential to deepen the understanding of diffraction contrast mechanisms and to advance the precision of crystallographic measurements. |
