Coherent X-ray diffraction was used to image grown-in antiphase boundaries, in a metal alloy, which represented pure phase objects. The fine structure within the (001) superstructure diffraction peak of a B2-ordered bulk Fe65Al35 sample was inverted by using iterative algorithms that Fourier transformed between reciprocal and real space; applying appropriate constraints in each domain. As the sample object was non-compact, bigger than the beam footprint, knowing the precise beam profile was essential for defining the real-space constraint. Although a unique long-range structure could not be derived, the algorithm revealed phase structures that were locally unique. These were identified, in all reconstruction runs, by means of cross-correlation analysis. The deduced characteristic antiphase boundary morphology was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy of the same sample. This revealed almost planar antiphase boundary walls on {110} planes; terminating at grown-in dislocations.

Coherent X-ray Diffraction Imaging of Grown-In Antiphase Boundaries in Fe65Al35. L.M.Stadler, R.Harder, I.K.Robinson, C.Rentenberger, H.P.Karnthaler, B.Sepiol, G.Vogl: Physical Review B, 2007, 76[1], 014204 (9pp)