Calibration of an electron back-scattering pattern set-up

The determination of lattice orientations from electron back-scattering patterns (EBSPs) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) requires accurate knowledge of the position of the pattern centre and the source point to screen distance. This paper outlines a new procedure that enables the determination of these parameters for any given set-up of the EBSP/SEM system. The calibration procedure simply requires the positions and indices of at least four poles in a pattern obtained from an arbitrary specimen, and eliminates the need for standard specimens or special attachments to the EBSP/SEM system. The pattern centre is shown to be located with a precision of approximately 0·5° and the source point to screen distance can be determined with a relative precision of approximately 0·5%.