Figure 1. (top row) (left) Secondary electron image of polyphase Al alloy after mechanical polishing (tilted sample). Some phases did not polish well and stand out from the surface. (center) EBSD image quality (IQ) map illustrating that no diffraction patterns could be collected from the protruding grains (black areas). Two grains at the top show an intricate substructure, which is an artifact caused by mechanical polishing. This substructure is also apparent in the inverse pole figure (IPF) map (right). (bottom row) (left) Secondary electron image after ion milling (tilted sample). Most topography has been removed and all grains now produce indexable EBSD patterns. The artificial substructures have been removed and the true grain structure is displayed in the IQ and IPF maps (center, right).
The combined experiment brief from EDAX and Gatan shows how utilizing broad beam ion milling can ensure a clean, damage-free sample surface. This allows for an optimal Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) signal from all phases, regardless of their polishing resistance.
Click here to download the full experiment brief.