Maps and Exploration

Electron diffraction

Electron diffraction is a generic term for phenomena associated with changes in the direction of electron beams due to elastic interactions with atoms. It occurs due to elastic scattering, when there is no change in the energy of the electrons. The negatively charged electrons are scattered due to Coulomb forces when they interact with both the positively charged atomic core and the negatively charged electrons around the atoms. The resulting map of the directions of the electrons far from the sample is called a diffraction pattern, see for instance Figure 1. Beyond patterns showing the directions of electrons, electron diffraction also plays a major role in the contrast of images in electron microscopes. This article provides an overview of electron diffraction and electron diffraction patterns, collectively referred to by the generic name electron diffraction. This includes aspects of how in a general way electrons can act as waves, and diffract and interact with matter. It also involves the extensive history behind modern electron diffraction, how the combination of developments in the 19th century in understanding and controlling electrons in vacuum and the early 20th century developments with electron waves were combined with early instruments, giving birth to electron microscopy and diffraction in 1920–1935. While this was the birth, there have been a large number of further developments since then. There are many types and techniques of electron diffraction. The most common approach is where the electrons transmit through a thin sample, from 1 nm to 100 nm (10 to 1000 atoms thick), where the results depend upon how the atoms are arranged in the material, for instance a single crystal, many crystals or different types of solids. Other cases such as larger repeats, no periodicity or disorder have their own characteristic patterns. There are many different ways of collecting diffraction information, from parallel illumination to a converging beam of electrons or where the beam is rotated or scanned across the sample which produce information that is often easier to interpret. There are also many other types of instruments. For instance, in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction can be used to determine crystal orientation across the sample.

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