High-throughput inclined scanning three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy via dual line-beam X-point scanning

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Crystallography
• Microscopy

Background:

• Inclined scanning three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (i-S3DXRD) microscopy is a powerful technique for non-destructively mapping crystal orientations in planar specimens.
• The practical application of i-S3DXRD is hindered by its slow, conventional raster-scanning procedure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To significantly improve the speed and efficiency of i-S3DXRD.
• To introduce and validate a novel scanning mode for faster data acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a dual line-beam X-point (DLX) scanning mode for i-S3DXRD.
• Selective enhancement of diffraction peaks by pixel-wise multiplication of images acquired with horizontally and vertically elongated X-ray beams.
• Multigrain indexing performed on reorganized data.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 21-fold reduction in the number of scans required (from 51 × 37 to 51 + 37).
• The DLX scanning mode selectively enhances diffraction peaks at the X-point.
• Orientation maps generated using DLX scanning mode show agreement with conventional raster scanning methods.

Conclusions:

• The DLX scanning mode offers a substantial time-saving improvement for i-S3DXRD.
• This new method maintains the accuracy of crystal orientation mapping.
• The DLX approach enhances the practical applicability of i-S3DXRD for analyzing planar specimens.