Detection of Coaxial Backscattered Electrons in SEM

We present a coaxial detection of the backscattered electrons in SEM. The lens-aperture has been used to filter in energy and focus the backscattered electrons. This particular geometry allows us to eliminate the low energy backscattered electrons and collect the backscattered electrons, which are backscattered close to the incident beam orientation. The main advantage of this geometry is adapted to topographic contrast attenuation and atomic number contrast enhancement. Thus this new SEM is very suitable to analyze the material composition.

ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF BACKSCATTERED ELECTRONS FROM HEAVY METALS

The full energy distribution of backscattered electrons from the elastic peak do wn to the true-secondary electron peak for heavy metals, Ta, W, Pt and Au, in Au ger electron spectroscopy in the EN(E) mode has been studied with a Monte Carlo simulation method, which includes cascade-secondary-electron production. The sim ulation model is based on the use of a dielectric function for describing inelas tic scattering and secondary excitation, and on the use of Mott cross sections f or elastic scattering. A systematic comparison between the calculated and experi mental spectra measured with a cylindrical mirror analyzer has been made for pri mary energies ranging from 1 to 5keV. Excellent agreement was obtained for these heavy metals on the backscattering background at primary energies in the keV re gion. A significant contribution of cascade secondary electrons to the measured spectra on the low-energy side was found.

A MONTE CARLO SIMULATION OF SECONDARY ELECTRON AND BACKSCATTERED ELECTRON IMAGES IN SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

A new parallel Monte Carlo simulation method of secondary electron (SE) and back scattered electron images (BSE) of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for a com plex geometric structure has been developed. This paper describes briefly the si mulation method and the modification to the conventional sampling method for the step length. Example simulation results have been obtained for several artifici al structures.

Analysis of deformation mechanisms in magnesium single crystals using a dedicated four-point bending tester

In this study,we explored the deformation mechanisms of Mg single crystals using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction in conjunction with a dedicated four-point bending tester.We prepared two single-crystal samples,oriented along the<1120>and<1010>directions,to assess the mechanisms of deformation when the initial basal slip was suppressed.In the<1120>sample,the primary{1012}twin(T1)was confirmed along the<1120>direction of the sample on the compression side with an increase in bending stress.In the<1010>sample,T1 and the secondary twin(T2)were confirmed to be along the<1120>direction,with an orientation of±60°with respect to the bending stress direction,and their direction matched with(0001)in T1 and T2.This result implies that crystallographically,the basal slip occurs readily.In addition,the<1010>sample showed the double twin in T1 on the compression side and the tertiary twin along the<1010>direction on the tension side.These results demonstrated that the maximum bending stress and displacement changed significantly under the bend loading because the deformation mechanisms were different for these single crystals.Therefore,the correlation between bending behavior and twin orientation was determined,which would be helpful for optimizing the bending properties of Mg-based materials.

Monte Carlo Simulation of the Coaxial Electrons Backscattering from Thin Films

By using the Monte Carlo method, we simulated the trajectories of coaxial backscattering electrons corresponding to a new type of scanning electron microscope. From the calculated results, we obtain a universal expression, which describes with good accuracy the backscattering coefficient versus film thickness under all conditions used. By measuring the coaxial backscattering coefficient and using this universal formula, the thickness of thin films can be determined if the composition is known.

Wireless Preamplifier for the Specimen Current Mode Detector in a SEM

Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in the back-scattered electron (BSE) mode the composition of multi-element specimens may be determined based on the strong dependence of emission coefficient η on the average atomic number of elements Z. The output video signal of the usual BSE detectors is produced from their sensors, and the larger proportion of high-energy electrons with modified spectrum is added. Since η = is/ip (is and ip currents of specimen and probe), better accuracy must be achieved by direct measurements those currents on the specimen surface. Here, an experimental model of a current detector for a presented specimen is described. The cage is mounted on the carousel of the moving specimen stage. The input of the preamplifier is connected to the specimen holder in the form of a disk, the diameter of which is 12 mm. When the probe along its surface scanned, the input potential begins to pulsate with a negative polarity. The output of this preamplifier is connected to a small light-emitting diode, which creates intensity-modulated radiation in the chamber. Thus created the light video signal will be picked up by the photomultiplier of the E-T detector. The modes of true SE and BSE are set by applying tens bias volts of various polarities to the specimens or the cage itself.

Analysis of Orange Peel Defect in St14 Steel Sheet by Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD)

In this paper, the orange peel defect in the surface range of the st14 steel sheet has been investigated using the electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. It has been found that the orange peel defect in the st14 steel sheet was resulted from the local coarse grains which were produced during hot-rolling due to the critical deformation in dual-phase zone. During deep drawing, the coarse grains with {100}<001> microtexture can slip on the {112}<111> slip system to form bulging and yields orange peel defects, while the coarse grains with {112}<110> orientation do not form the defect as the Schmid factor of {112}<111> slip system in it equals zero.

Simulation of Secondary Electron and Backscattered Electron Emission in A6 Relativistic Magnetron Driven by Different Cathode

Prticle-in-cell（PIC） simulations demonstrated that,when the relativistic magnetron with diffraction output（MDO） is applied with a 410 kV voltage pulse,or when the relativistic magnetron with radial output is applied with a 350 kV voltage pulse,electrons emitted from the cathode with high energy will strike the anode block wall.The emitted secondary electrons and backscattered electrons affect the interaction between electrons and RF fields induced by the operating modes,which decreases the output power in the radial output relativistic magnetron by about 15%（10%for the axial output relativistic magnetron）,decreases the anode current by about 5%（5%for the axial output relativistic magnetron）,and leads to a decrease of electronic efficiency by 8%（6%for the axial output relativistic magnetron）.The peak value of the current formed by secondary and backscattered current equals nearly half of the amplitude of the anode current,which may help the growth of parasitic modes when the applied magnetic field is near the critical magnetic field separating neighboring modes.Thus,mode competition becomes more serious.

Residual stress measurement and analysis of siliceous slate-containing quartz veins

Engineering geological disasters such as rockburst have always been a critical factor affecting the safety of coal mine production.Thus,residual stress is considered a feasible method to explain these geomechanical phenomena.In this study,electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)and optical microscopy were used to characterize the rock microcosm.A measuring area that met the requirements of X-ray diffraction(XRD)residual stress measurement was determined to account for the mechanism of rock residual stress.Then,the residual stress of a siliceous slate-containing quartz vein was measured and calculated using the sin^(2) ϕ method equipped with an X-ray diffractometer.Analysis of microscopic test results showed homogeneous areas with small particles within the millimeter range,meeting the requirements of XRD stress measurement statistics.Quartz was determined as the calibration mineral for slate samples containing quartz veins.The diffraction patterns of the(324)crystal plane were obtained under different ϕ and φ.The deviation direction of the diffraction peaks was consistent,indicating that the sample tested had residual stress.In addition,the principal residual stress within the quartz vein measured by XRD was compressive,ranging from 10 to 33 MPa.The maximum principal stress was parallel to the vein trend,whereas the minimum principal stress was perpendicular to the vein trend.Furthermore,the content of the low-angle boundary and twin boundary in the quartz veins was relatively high,which enhances the resistance of the rock mass to deformation and promotes the easy formation of strain concentrations,thereby resulting in residual stress.The proposed method for measuring residual stress can serve as a reference for subsequent observation and related research on residual stress in different types of rocks.

Residual elastic stress strain field and geometrically necessary dislocation density distribution around nano-indentation in TA15 titanium alloy

Nanoindentation and high resolution electron backscatter diffraction（EBSD） were combined to examine the elastic modulus and hardness of α and β phases,anisotropy in residual elastic stress strain fields and distributions of geometrically necessary dislocation（GND） density around the indentations within TA15 titanium alloy.The nano-indention tests were conducted on α and β phases,respectively.The residual stress strain fields surrounding the indentation were calculated through crosscorrelation method from recorded patterns.The GND density distribution around the indentation was calculated based on the strain gradient theories to reveal the micro-mechanism of plastic deformation.The results indicate that the elastic modulus and hardness for α p hase are 129.05 GPas and 6.44 GPa,while for β phase,their values are 109.80 GPa and 4.29 GPa,respectively.The residual Mises stress distribution around the indentation is relatively heterogeneous and significantly influenced by neighboring soft β phase.The region with low residual stress around the indentation is accompanied with markedly high a type and prismatic-GND density.

Grain refinement of magnesium alloys processed by severe plastic deformation

Grain refinement of AZ31 Mg alloy during cyclic extrusion compression （CEC） at 225-400 ℃ was investigated quantitatively by electron backscattering diffraction （EBSD）. Results show that an ultrafine grained microstructure of AZ31 alloy is obtained only after 3 passes of CEC at 225 ℃. The mean misorientation and the fraction of high angle grain boundaries （HAGBs） increase gradually by lowering extrusion temperature. Only a small fraction of {101^-2} twinning is observed by EBSD in AZ31 Mg alloys after 3 passes of CEC. Schmid factors calculation shows that the most active slip system is pyramidal slip {101^-1}〈1120〉and basal slip {0001}〈1120〉 at 225-350 ℃ and 400 ℃, respectively. Direct evidences at subgrain boundaries support the occurrence of continuous dynamic recrystallization （CDRX） mechanism in grain refinement of AZ31 Mg alloy processed by CEC.

Application of EBSD technique to ultrafine grained and nanostructured materials processed by severe plastic deformation:Sample preparation, parameters optimization and analysis

With the help of FESEM, high resolution electron backscatter diffraction can investigate the grains/subgrains as small as a few tens of nanometers with a good angular resolution （~0.5°）. Fast development of EBSD speed （up to 1100 patterns per second） contributes that the number of published articles related to EBSD has been increasing sharply year by year. This paper reviews the sample preparation, parameters optimization and analysis of EBSD technique, emphasizing on the investigation of ultrafine grained and nanostructured materials processed by severe plastic deformation （SPD）. Detailed and practical parameters of the electropolishing, silica polishing and ion milling have been summarized. It is shown that ion milling is a real universal and promising polishing method for EBSD preparation of almost all materials. There exists a maximum value of indexed points as a function of step size. The optimum step size depends on the magnification and the board resolution/electronic step size. Grains/subgrains and texture, and grain boundary structure are readily obtained by EBSD. Strain and stored energy may be analyzed by EBSD.

Mechanical properties and texture evolution during hot rolling of AZ31 magnesium alloy

Mechanical properties and texture evolutions of the as-rolled AZ31 Mg sheets were investigated.The results show that the grains of the sheets are significantly refined after hot rolling.The mechanical properties of the as-rolled samples are enhanced due to the grain size refinement.The intensity of basal texture decreases with the increase of deformation ratio,and double-peak type basal texture is discovered in the intermediate and large strain hot rolling processes.The formation of the texture is ascribed to the activities of prismatic and non-basalslips,which is the same as the 30%rolled and 50%rolled samples.The incline of basal planes exerts an effect on the mechanical anisotropy during tension along rolling direction(RD)and transverse direction(TD)at room temperature.

Design of an efficient collector for the HIAF electron cooling system

A collector with high perveance,efficient recu-peration,and low secondary emissions is required for the 450-keV electron cooler in the HIAF accelerator complex.To optimize the collection efficiency of the collector,a simulation program,based on the Monte Carlo simulations,was developed in the world’s first attempt to calculate the electron collection efficiency.In this program,the backscattering electrons and secondary electrons generated on the collector surface are calculated using a Monte Carlo approach,and all electron trajectories in the collector region are tracked by the Runge–Kutta method.In this paper,the features and structure of our program are described.The backscattering electron yields,with various collector surface materials,are calculated using our pro-gram.Moreover,the collector efficiencies for various col-lector structures and electromagnetic fields are simulated and optimized.The measurement results of the collection efficiency of the HIAF collector prototype and the CSRm synchrotron are also reported.These experimental results were in good agreement with the simulation results of our program.

Microstructure and mechanical properties characterization of AA6061/TiC aluminum matrix composites synthesized by in situ reaction of silicon carbide and potassium fluotitanate

Aluminum alloys AA6061 reinforced with various amounts （0, 2.5% and 5%, mass fraction） of TiC particles were synthesized by the in situ reaction of inorganic salt K2TiF6 and ceramic particle SiC with molten aluminum. The casting was carried out at an elevated temperature and held for a longer duration to decompose SiC to release carbon atoms. X-ray diffraction patterns of the prepared AMCs clearly revealed the formation of TiC particles without the occurrence of any other intermetallic compounds. The microstructure of the prepared AA6061/TiC AMCs was studied using field emission scanning electron microscope （FESEM） and electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD）. The in situ formed TiC particles were characterized with homogeneous distribution, clear interface, good bonding and various shapes such as cubic, spherical and hexagonal. EBSD maps showed the grain refinement action of TiC particles on the produced composites. The formation of TiC particles boosted the microhardness and ultimate tensile strength （UTS） of the AMCs.

Microstructure analyses and phase-field simulation of partially divorced eutectic solidification in hypoeutectic Mg-Al Alloys

In this study the partially divorced eutectic microstructure ofα-Mg andβ-Mg17Al12was investigated by electron backscatter diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,and phase-field modeling in hypoeutectic Mg-Al alloys.The orientation relationships between the individual eutecticαgrains,eutecticβphase,and primaryαgrains were investigated.While the amount of eutectic morphology is primarily determined by the Al content,the in-depth microstructure analyses and the phase-field simulation suggest non-interactive nucleation and growth of eutecticαphase in theβphase grown on the interdendritic primaryαdendrites.Also,phase-field simulations showed a preferred nucleation sequence where theβphase nucleates first and subsequently triggers the nucleation of eutecticαphase at the movingβphase solidification front,which supports the microstructural analysis results.

Effect of Poly-Alkylene-Glycol Quenchant on the Distortion, Hardness, and Microstructure of 65Mn Steel

Currently,the 65Mn steel is quenched mainly by oil media.Even though the lower cooling rate of oil compared to water reduces the hardness of steel post quenching,the deforming and cracking of parts are often minimized.On the other hand,the oil media also has the disadvantage of being ammable,creating smoke that adversely affects the media.The poly alkylene glycol(PAG)polymer quenchant is commonly used for quenching a variety of steels based on its advantages such as non-ammability and exible cooling rate subjected to varying concentration and stirring speed.This article examines the effect of PAG polymer quenching solution(with concentrations of 10%and 20%)on deformation,hardness,and microstructure of C-ring samples made of 65Mn steel.Furthermore,the performance of PAG polymer quenchant is also compared with those of two common quenching solutions:Water and oil.When cooling in water,the C-ring samples had the largest deformation and 2 times higher than the results obtained when a 10%PAG solution was used.In particular,similar levels of deformation on the C-ring samples were observed in both cases of 20%PAG solution and oil as the primary quenching media.Furthermore,the hardness level measured between the sampled parts quenched in the 20%PAG solution appeared to be more uniform than that obtained from the oil-quenched sample.The study of the microscopic structure of steel by optical microscopy combined with X-ray diffraction showed that the water hardened sample exhibited cracks and comprised of two phases,martensite and retained austenite.According to the results of Electron Back Scattering Diffraction(EBSD)analysis and backscattering electronic image(BSE),the content of austenite residue in the sample when the sample was cooled in PAG 10 and 20%solution was 3.21%and 4.73%,respectively and smaller than the measurements obtained from oil quenching solution.Thus,the 65Mn steel is cooled in 20%PAG solution for high hardness and more evenly distributed than when it is quenched in oil while still ensuring a small level of deformation.Therefore,the PAG 20%solution can completely replace oil as the main media used to quench the 65Mn steel.

Modeling uniaxial tensile deformation of polycrystalline Al using CPFEM

The crystal plasticity finite element modeling （CPFEM） is realized in commercial finite element code ABAQUS with UMAT subroutine on the basis of the crystal plasticity theory of rate dependent polycrystal constitutive relations in the mesoscopic scale. The initial orientations obtained by electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD） are directly input into the CPFEM to simulate the mechanical response of polycrystalline 1050 pure Al in uniaxial tensile deformation. Two polycrystal models and two tensile strain rates were used in the simulations. The stress-strain curves of tensile deformation were analyzed. The predictions and the corresponding experiment result show reasonable agreement and slight deviation with experiments. The flow true stress of strain rate 0.01 s^-1 is higher than that of strain rate 0.001 s^-1. At the strain less than 0.05, the stress saturated rate of the experiment is higher than the simulated results. However, the stress saturated rate of the experiment becomes gentler than the corresponding simulated predictions at the strain over 0.05. Also, necking was simulated by the two models, but the necking strain is not well predicted. Tensile textures at strain 0.25 were predicted at the low strain rate of 0.001 s^-1. The predictions are in good accord with the experimental results. 2008 University of Science and Technology Beijing. All rights reserved.

Microstructural characterization of Inconel 718 alloy after pulsed laser surface treatment at different powers

An annealed Inconel 718 alloy was surface-treated by pulsed laser at three different powers（100, 50 and 25 W）. Microstructural changes induced by the laser treatments were characterized by use of electron backscatter diffraction and electron channeling contrast imaging techniques. Results show that both annealing twins and strengthening precipitates profusely existing in the as-received specimen are dissolved at elevated temperatures during the laser irradiation. Meanwhile, in the melting zone（MZ）, densities of low angle boundaries（LABs） are greatly increased with a large number of Laves phases preferentially distributed along such LABs. For different specimens, widths and depths of their MZs are found to be gradually reduced with decreasing the laser powers. Orientation analyses reveal that the columnar grains in the MZ of the 100 W specimen could inherit orientations existing in the matrix while lower laser powers promote the formation of more nuclei with scattered orientations to grow to be granular grains in the MZ. Hardness tests reveal that the MZs of all laser-treated specimens are softer than the matrix probably due to both precipitate dissolution and grain coarsening.

Characterization of microstructure and strain response in Ti-6Al-4V plasma welding deposited material by combined EBSD and in-situ tensile test

Additive layer manufacturing （ALM） of aerospace grade titanium components shows great promise in supplying a cost-effective alternative to the conventional production routes. Complex microstructures comprised of columnar remnants of directionally solidifiedβ-grains, with interior inhabited by colonies of finerα-plate structures, were found in samples produced by layered plasma welding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The application of in-situ tensile tests combined with rapid offline electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD） analysis provides a powerful tool for understanding and drawing qualitative correlations between microstructural features and deformation characteristics. Non-uniform deformation occurs due to a strong variation in strain response between colonies and across columnar grain boundaries. Prismatic and basal slip systems are active, with the prismatic systems contributing to the most severe deformation through coarse and widely spaced slip lines. Certain colonies behave as microstructural units, with easy slip transmission across the entire colony. Other regions exhibit significant deformation mismatch, with local build-up of strain gradients and stress concentration. The segmentation occurs due to the growth morphology and variant constraints imposed by the columnar solidification structures through orientation relationships, interface alignment and preferred growth directions. Tensile tests perpendicular to columnar structures reveal deformation localization at columnar grain boundaries. In this work connections are made between the theoretical macro- and microstructural growth mechanisms and the observed microstructure of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, which in turn is linked to observations during in-situ tensile tests.