Interphase analysis in multiphase CoRe alloy

Instruments used

PECS™ II and EDAX^® Velocity™ Super EBSD analysis system with APEX™ software

Background

The investigation of phase relationships and grain misorientations requires accurate measurement of orientations close to the grain interfaces. Traditional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) specimen preparation by mechanical or electropolishing may introduce abrupt edges at boundaries between phases with different hardness and polishing resistance. Such topography causes shadowing on steeply tilted EBSD samples, limiting the possibility of obtaining accurate grain boundary information. Broad beam ion milling at a low incidence angle alleviates this topography effect. After milling, the sample surface typically shows a somewhat undulating topography with a smooth continuous surface across grain boundaries, which is beneficial to grain boundary characterization.