Characterization of Grain Boundaries in the TEM
J.L. Lábár
Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science
Physical properties of grain boundaries in crystalline materials depend sensitively on their
geometries. Grain boundary geometry is characterized by the relative misorientation of the
two neighboring grains and the direction of the grain boundary plane. Determination of these
parameters is helped by the development of a computer program. Orientation matrix of any
grain is determined from Kikuchi-lines and Kikuchi-bands in a single crystal grain.
Misorientation between two neighboring grains is deduced from the two orientation matrices
and both the angle and the axis of rotation are determined from the diagonal elements of the
misorientation matrix. Crystallographic orientation of a line (e.g. the trace of a grain boundary
plane) is also determined in the same program. Tilt of the grain boundary plane can be
determined from its projected width, using the local sample thickness as known value
(determined from CBED).
Examples for test of the new program are selected for Si (the material of Solar Cells,
examined in an EU project, HIGH-EF).