Phase identification of individual crystalline particles by electron backscatter diffraction

Recently, an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) system was developed t hat uses a 1024 x 1024 CCD camera coupled to a thin phosphor. This camera h as been shown to produce excellent EBSD patterns. In this system, crystallo graphic information is determined from the EBSD pattern and coupled with th e elemental information from energy or wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrom etry. Identification of the crystalline phase of a sample is then made thro ugh a link to a commercial diffraction database. To date, this system has b een applied almost exclusively to conventional, bulk samples that have been polished to a flat surface. In this investigation, rye report on the appli cation of the EBSD system to the phase identification analysis of individua l micrometre and submicrometre particles rather than flat surfaces.