Use of an energy filter to improve the spatial resolution of electron backscatter diffraction.

The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analytical technique is invaluable for determining the crystallography of bulk alloys, thin films, and nanoparticles. However, our physical understanding of EBSD pattern generation is incomplete, which hinders our ability to push the limits of EBSD analysis. Here, by using an energy filter with better than 10 eV resolution, an improvement in the spatial resolution of the EBSD pattern was experimentally demonstrated. A signal depth of less than 15 nm for an aluminum film was achieved by controlling the cutoff energy of the energy filter. Additionally, a two-fold improvement in the spatial resolution across a grain boundary was observed using the energy filter. Copyright 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.