Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2018
Orientation mapping via automated analysis of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) patterns has developed into an established microstructural analysis tool in the electron microscopy community. From the early 1990s, when this technique became commercially available, there has been a steady increase in the data acquisition rates as shown in Figure 1. Currently, orientation mapping speeds of over 200 analyzed patterns per second have been achieved. With these types of acquisition rates now available, the strategy on how to best use EBSD and orientation mapping has also shifted. Early adopters of this technique had to allocate hours of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) beam time in order to collect statistically significant data. With current technology, what was collected in hours can now be obtained in minutes. The goal of this article is to introduce this high-speed orientation mapping and present results illustrating the benefits of this capability.