Precession electron diffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy: phase, orientation and strain mapping at the nanometer scale

Abstract:

Precession electron diffraction is a technique used in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to collect electron diffraction patterns while precessing the beam in a cone around the optic axis of the microscope. Electrons are strongly scattered by matter, resulting in dynamical diffraction effects and complex intensity distributions. Precession diffraction produces patterns that are nearly kinematical and lack the complicated intensity distributions of dynamical scattering. These patterns are readily indexed by computer, which allows for the structural characterization of the sample at each pixel. This technique is analogous to electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), but with higher spatial resolution. Like EBSD, precession diffraction is used to make phase and orientation maps in polycrystalline aggregates and deformed crystals. The technique also provides quantitative strain mapping at the nanometer scale for characterization of defects and coherent interfaces. This technique is especially useful for characterizing nano-scale intergrowths that are produced in high-pressure experiments and in naturally shocked samples. We are using this technique on our aberration corrects JEOL ARM200F STEM. Examples of experimentally and naturally transformed olivine will be presented.