Precession Electron Diffraction Assisted Orientation Mapping in the Transmission Electron Microscope

Precession electron diffraction (PED) is a new promising technique for electron diffraction pattern collection under quasi-kinematical conditions (as in X-ray Diffraction), which enables “ab-initio” solving of crystalline structures of nanocrystals. The PED technique may be used in TEM instruments of voltages 100 to 400 kV and is an effective upgrade of the TEM instrument to a true electron diffractometer. The PED technique, when combined with fast electron diffraction acquisition and pattern matching software techniques, may also be used for the high magnification ultra-fast mapping of variable crystal orientations and phases, similarly to what is achieved with the Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique in Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) at lower magnifications and longer acquisition times.