Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
11:14
Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: May 28, 2016
The effect of atomic mass on the physical spatial resolution in EBSD.
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
Summary
This study reveals electron backscatter diffraction
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is crucial for microstructural analysis.
- Understanding spatial resolution limits is key for EBSD accuracy.
- Digital Image Correlation (DIC) can enhance EBSD spatial resolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physical spatial resolution of an EBSD system combined with DIC.
- To determine the influence of accelerating voltage and probe current on EBSD spatial resolution for silver (Ag) and aluminum (Al).
- To differentiate resolution dependencies based on material atomic mass.
Main Methods:
- Utilized bicrystals of silver (Ag) and aluminum (Al).
- Employed a combination of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and Digital Image Correlation (DIC).
- Systematically varied accelerating voltage and probe current to assess their impact on lateral and longitudinal resolutions.
Main Results:
- Lateral and longitudinal resolutions for aluminum (Al) showed high dependency on accelerating voltage.
- Resolutions for silver (Ag) were largely independent of accelerating voltage.
- Probe current had no significant effect on either lateral or longitudinal resolutions.
- Best lateral resolutions achieved: 40.5 nm for Al and 12.1 nm for Ag (at 10 kV, 1 nA).
- Best longitudinal resolutions achieved: 23.2 nm for Al and 80 nm for Ag (at 10 kV, 1 nA).
Conclusions:
- Accelerating voltage significantly impacts EBSD spatial resolution, particularly for low atomic mass materials like Al.
- High atomic mass materials like Ag exhibit less sensitivity to accelerating voltage changes.
- Probe current is not a critical factor for optimizing spatial resolution in this EBSD-DIC setup.
- The study provides optimal parameters for achieving high spatial resolution in EBSD analysis for specific materials.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Mass Analyzers: Overview
The mass analyzer is a crucial component of the mass spectrometer. In the ionization chamber, the vaporized sample is bombarded with a high-energy electron beam to generate a radical cation and further fragment into neutral molecules, radicals, and cations. A series of negatively charged accelerator plates accelerate the cations into the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer separates ions according to their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios and then directs them to the detector. The common types of mass...
01:20Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a sample by analyzing the light emitted from excited atoms. In AES, atoms in a sample are excited to higher energy levels by thermal energy from high-temperature sources, such as plasma, arcs, or sparks. When these excited atoms return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths characteristic of each element. The resulting atomic emission spectrum, which consists of...
01:30Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Interference
In atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), high-temperature atomizers excite a broad range of elements and molecules that generate complex emissions from sources such as oxides, hydroxides, and flame combustion products in the flame or plasma. Several strategies can be employed to minimize spectral interferences caused by overlapping emission lines or bands. These include increasing instrument resolution, choosing alternative emission lines, optimally placing the detector in low-background regions,...
01:07Scanning Electron Microscopy
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to study the surface features of a sample by using an electron beam that scans the sample surface in a two-dimensional manner. Typically, areas between ~1 centimeter to 5 micrometers in width can be imaged. SEM can be used to image bacteria, viruses, tissues as well as larger samples like insects. Conventional SEM gives a magnification ranging from 20X to 30,000X and spatial resolution of 50 to 100 nanometers.
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
01:14NMR Spectrometers: Resolution and Error Correction
When magnetic nuclei in a sample achieve resonance and undergo relaxation, the signal detected in NMR is an approximately exponential free induction decay. Fourier transform of an exponential decay yields a Lorentzian peak in the frequency domain. Lorentzian peaks in an NMR spectrum are defined by their amplitude, full width at half maximum, and position, where the peak width is governed by the spin-spin relaxation time alone. In real experiments, however, the applied magnetic field is rendered...
01:27Atomic Spectroscopy: Effects of Temperature
Atomization, converting samples into gas-phase atoms and ions, is essential for atomic spectroscopy. The flame temperature required for atomization affects the efficiency of the atomic spectroscopic methods by increasing the atomization efficiency and the relative population of the excited and ground states.
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature from...
At thermal equilibrium, the relative populations of excited and ground state atoms can be estimated using the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. For example, an increase in temperature from...