Inelastic scattering techniques for in situ characterization of thin film growth: backscatter Kikuchi diffraction

Abstract: The inherent characteristics of electron diffraction are particularly useful for determining the full structure (lattice parameters, space group, atomic positions) of thin films in situ and in real-time. Electrons are easy to generate, manipulate, and detect, and they have a strong interaction with matter. However, the dynamic nature of electron diffraction generally makes detailed analysis complicated. Along with the multiple scattering complications comes one significant benefit: the formation of Kikuchi diffraction patterns. These contain within them a representation of the full three-dimensional structure of the probed material.