The study of microstructure on a mesoscale by ACOM

The benefits of analytical electron microscopy are the correlation of morph ology, elemental composition and crystal structure on a submicron scale. Au tomated crystal orientation measurement (ACOM) in the SEM enables, by digit al beam scan, the convenient and fast acquisition of orientation data in se lected bulk surface areas grain by grain. Grain boundaries exceeding some t enth of a degree of misorientation are reliably identified. The quality of backscatter Kikuchi patterns is a (semi-) quantitative measure of local pla stic deformation. The database can be used for crystal orientation mapping (COM), quantitative texture analysis (ODF, pole figures, MODF), characteriz ation of grain and phase boundaries, and orientation stereology in general from macroscopic areas down to mesoscale.