TrueEBSD: Correcting spatial distortions in electron backscatter diffraction maps

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope is routinely used for microstructural characterisation of polycrystalline materials. Maps of EBSD data are typically acquired at high stage tilt and slow scan speed, leading to tilt and drift distortions that obscure or distort features in the final microstructure map. In this paper, we describe TrueEBSD, an automatic postprocessing procedure for distortion correction with pixel scale precision. Intermediate images are used to separate tilt and drift distortion components and fit each to a physically-informed distortion model. We demonstrate TrueEBSD on three case studies (titanium, zirconium and hydride containing Zr), where distortion removal has enabled characterisation of otherwise inaccessible microstructural features.

Automated summary

The paper describes TrueEBSD, an automatic postprocessing procedure for distortion correction with pixel scale precision, demonstrated on three case studies. By separating tilt and drift distortion components and fitting each to a distortion model, TrueEBSD enabled characterization of otherwise inaccessible microstructural features.