The application of automated Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) in the
scanning electron microscope, to the quantitative analysis of grain and su
bgrain structures is discussed and compared with conventional methods of qu
antitative metallography. It is shown that the technique has reached a stat
e of maturity such that linescans and maps can routinely be obtained and an
alysed using commercially available equipment and that EBSD in a Field Emis
sion SEM (FEGSEM) allows quantitative analysis of grain/subgrains as small
as similar to0.2 mum. EBSD can often give more accurate measurements of gra
in and subgrain size than conventional imaging methods, often in comparable
times. Subgrain/cell measurements may be made more easily than in the TEM
although the limited angular resolution of EBSD may be problematic in some
cases. Additional information available from EBSD and not from conventional
microscopy, gives a new dimension to quantitative metallography. Texture a
nd its correlation with grain or subgrain size, shape and position are read
ily measured. Boundary misorientations, which are readily obtainable from E
BSD, enable the distribution of boundary types to be determined and CSL bou
ndaries can be identified and measured. The spatial distribution of Stored
Energy in a sample and the amount of Recrystallization may also be measured
by EBSD methods. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.