The technique of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope is becoming a standard technique for the characterization of materials. EBSD has evolved into a tool that can determine the orientation of a crystalline area of interest or the technique can be used for the identification of unknown phases from their composition and crystallography. The application of the technique to ceramic materials has demonstrated the many advantages of this technique over classical x-ray diffraction techniques or electron diffraction in the TEM.

EBSD patterns are obtained by illuminating a highly tilted sample (>45° from horizontal) with a stationary electron beam. Electrons that are backscattered from the sample may satisfy the condition for channeling (or diffraction) and produce images that contain bands of increased and decreased intensity that are equivalent to channeling patterns. The patterns are imaged by placing a phosphor screen near the sample and imaging the screen with either TV rate or a slow scan CCD camera.