Electron backscatter diffraction: applications for nuclear materials

The diffraction of electrons was first observed in 1928 by Kikuchi. The phenomenon results in the formation of characteristic diagrams of the crystalline lattice and the orientation of the phase. Backscattered electrons are diffracted by the different crystallographic planes (hkl) according to the Bragg angle thetab. These describe, by symmetry, two cones of axes normal to the diffracting plane. Information is collected on a phosphor screen, leading to the acquisition of a diffraction pattern called a Kikuchi diagram. Several improvements now give a wide range of applications such as phase identification (carbides or complex compounds in a (U,Zr,O) structure), analysis of materials interfaces (ZrO2/UO2), as well as solidification studies and local texture determination (molybdenum sheets). In these applications, EBSD, as a type of quantitative metallography, is a powerful tool.