In the last years EBSD camera technology, pattern acquisition and indexing have been improved significantly and today acquisition rates of >3000 frames per second are becoming standard. With these improvements, EBSD has evolved from a purely scientific analysis method to be also applicable for industry and QA/QC purposes. The remaining time consuming and thus limiting factor is now sample preparation instead of acquisition and indexing. State-of-the-art preparation methods are mechanical polishing with a vibration-polish finish for large areas or focused ion beam (FIB) polishing for smaller areas and sensitive materials. Mechanical polishing requires less time than FIB polishing and is suitable for the preparation of large areas however it has limitations when it comes to target preparation. FIB polishing on the other hand is the method of choice for target preparation but is limited to small areas. To overcome limitations of both methods, the new femtosecond laser for ZEISS Crossbeam is used to rapidly prepare cross-sections in sheets of different metals and EBSD is performed on the laser-polished surfaces.

Diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) allows researchers to analyze crystallographic information in three dimensions for single-phase polycrystalline materials such as steel and alloys. The ability to image the grain structure and quantify the underlying crystallographic orientation in materials such as metals is instrumental to understanding and optimizing material properties. The non-destructive nature of X-ray imaging facilitates the understanding of microstructural evolution in situ, characterizing the impact of thermal, mechanical, or environmental conditions on material behavior. Learn more about the latest capabilities of laboratory-based DCT on 3D X-ray imaging systems, and new research and 3D characterization capabilities this enables.