Pattern center determination in electron backscatter diffraction microscopy

The pattern center of an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) image indicates the relative position of the image with reference to the interaction volume of the sample. As interest grows in high-resolution EBSD techniques, accurate knowledge of this position is essential for precise interpretation of the EBSD features. In a typical EBSD framework, Kikuchi bands are recorded on a phosphor screen. If the flat phosphor were instead shaped as a sphere, with its center at the specimen's electron interaction volume, then the incident backscattered electrons would form Kikuchi bands on that sphere with parallel band edges centered on great circles. In this article, the authors present a method of pattern center (PC) refinement that maps bands from the planar phosphor onto a virtual spherical screen and measures the deviation of bands from a great circle and from possessing parallel edges. Potential sources of noise and error, as well as methods for reducing these, are discussed. Finally, results are presented on the application of the PC algorithm to two types of simulated EBSD patterns and two experimental setups, and the resolution of the method is discussed.