Papers by Keyword: Electron Channeling Contrast Imaging

Abstract: In the paper, the influence factors of electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) on crystalline material microstructure characterization by scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) were analyzed, such as electric current, accelerating voltage and sample material’s surface conditions. It was found that high current, appropriate accelerating voltage and smooth sample surface were more beneficial to obtaining an ideal channel effect pattern. In addition, the difference between the channel effect contrast and the EBSD technology was also investigated. And the results showed that the channel effect contrast image could qualitatively characterize grains with different orientations. However, it was far less sensitive than EBSD in characterizing small angle grain boundaries.

Abstract: Step bunching on a vicinal 4H-SiC (0001) epitaxial layer surface was investigated using low-voltage electron scanning microscopy (LVSEM) and electron channeling contrast (ECC) imaging. LVSEM observations revealed that the step bunching resulted in the formation of atomically flat wide (~250 nm) terraces on the surface, and the terraces tended to form in pairs. The two terraces in paired terraces often showed the same electron channeling contrast as each other, and the contrast of the two terraces, either bright or dark, appeared to be determined by the orthogonal misorientation of substrates. On the basis of these results, the formation mechanism of the step-bunched structure on a vicinal 4H-SiC (0001) surface is discussed.

Abstract: We have investigated the strain-hardening mechanisms across the relevant scales in a Fe-22Mn-0.6C (wt.%) twinning induced plasticity steel by multi-scale microstructure characterization. The approach makes use of electron microscopy techniques such as electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) to characterize microstructure features at the micro/nanoscale, and atomic-scale investigations of partitioning behavior across interfaces and solid solution/clustering effects by atom probe tomography (APT). The contribution of most relevant microstructure features to strain hardening is analyzed.

Abstract: We have investigated the formation of dislocation substructures in high-Mn steels by electron channeling contrast imaging in the SEM. The coupling of electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) provides an efficient and fast approach to characterize dislocation substructures under controlled diffraction conditions with enhanced contrast. The dislocation substructure of high-Mn steels at intermediate strain levels is characterized by cells and cell blocks with strong crystallographic orientation dependence. We observe a significant effect of strain path on dislocation patterning. Microband formation is enabled under shearing conditions. We explain this effect on terms of Schmid’s law.

Abstract: We study the dislocation and twin substructures in a high manganese twinning-induced-plasticity steel (TWIP) by means of electron channeling contrast imaging. At low strain (true strain below 0.1) the dislocation substructure shows strong orientation dependence. It consists of dislocation cells and planar dislocation arrangements. This dislocation substructure is replaced by a complex dislocation/twin substructure at high strain (true strain of 0.3-0.4). The twin substructure also shows strong orientation dependence. We identify three types of dislocation/twin substructures. Two of these substructures, those which are highly favorable or unfavorable oriented for twinning, exhibit a Schmid behavior. The other twin substructure does not fulfill Schmid’s law.

Abstract: pn diodes have recently been fabricated from 3C-SiC material heteroepitaxially grown atop on-axis 4H-SiC mesa substrate arrays [1,2]. Using an optical emission microscope (OEM), we have investigated these diodes under forward bias, particularly including defective 3C-SiC films with in-grown stacking faults (SFs) nucleated on 4H-SiC mesas with steps from screw dislocations. Bright linear features are observed along <110> directions in electroluminescence (EL) images. These features have been further investigated using electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) [3]. The general characteristics of the ECCI images—together with the bright to dark contrast reversal with variations of the excitation error—strongly suggest that the bright linear features are partial dislocations bounding triangular SFs in the 3C-SiC films. However, unlike partial dislocations in 4H-SiC diodes whose recombination-enhanced dislocation motion serves to expand SF regions, all the partial dislocations we observed during the electrical stressing were immobile across a wide range of current injection levels (1 to 1000 A/cm2).

Abstract: The fatigue properties of ferritic stainless steel containing deformation twins were investigated. Monotonic tensile tests and push-pull fatigue tests were conducted on the specimens both with and without twins. Fatigue lives of the twinned specimens were about four times shorter than those without the deformation twins, although yield stresses of both specimens were almost equal. It was found that the fatigue cracking along the deformation twin boundaries caused the reduction in fatigue life. Dislocation structure observation using the ECCI method revealed that no specific dislocation structure was formed near the cracked deformation twin boundary, although the ladder-like PSB structure was developed along an annealing twin boundary in an austenitic stainless steel.