Beam Rocking Microanalysis
Beam Rocking Microanalysis - Related Videos
09:26
Igneous Intrusive Rock
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder Igneous rocks are products of the cooling and crystallization of high temperature liquid rock, called magma. Magmatic temperatures typically range from approximately 800 °C to 1,200 °C. Molten rock is, perhaps luckily for humans, an anomaly on planet Earth. If a random and imaginary drill hole were made in the Earth, it would most likely not reach a region of truly and totally molten material until the outer core, at nearly...
07:28
Igneous Volcanic Rock
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder Igneous rocks are the products of cooling and crystallization of magma. Volcanic rocks are a particular variety of igneous rock, forming as a consequence of magma breaching the surface, then cooling and crystallizing in the subaerial environment. Magma is molten rock that typically ranges in temperature from approximately 800 °C to 1,200 °C (Figure 1). Magma itself is produced within the Earth via three primary melting...
09:30
Focused Ion Beams
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2023
Source: Sina Shahbazmohamadi and Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti-Roodposhti, School of Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT As electron microscopes become more complex and widely used in research labs, it becomes more of a necessity to introduce their capabilities. Focused ion beam (FIB) is an instrument that can be employed in order to fabricate, trim, analyze and characterize materials on mico- and nano-scales in a wide variety of fields from nano-electronics to medicine. FIB...
01:30
Beams
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2023
Beams are integral components of structural engineering and construction, designed to support loads applied at various points along their length. These long, straight members can be classified based on geometry, cross-section, support type, and equilibrium condition. Based on geometry, beams can be straight, tapered, or curved. Straight beams are the most common type and have a constant cross-section throughout their length. Tapered beams, on the other hand, have a varying cross-section along...
05:36
Determining Spatial Orientation of Rock Layers with the Brunton Compass
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder Most rock units exhibit some form of planar surfaces or linear features. Examples include bedding-, fault-, fracture-, and joint-surfaces, and various forms of foliation and mineral alignment. The spatial orientation of these features form the critical raw data used to constrain models addressing the origin and subsequent deformation of rock units. Although now over 100 years since its invention and introduction, the Brunton...
FAQs
Changing the beam’s incidence angle alters how electrons interact with regularly arranged atomic planes. At particular orientations, electron channeling changes the intensity of characteristic X-rays emitted by the sample. These variations are not simply instrumental fluctuations; they reflect the relationship between the beam direction and the crystal lattice, allowing chemical signals to carry crystallographic information.
A rocking curve records how a characteristic X-ray intensity changes across the controlled angular range. Its pattern can indicate crystal orientation and help identify phases that might produce similar elemental spectra. Interpreting the curve together with the associated elemental signal therefore connects chemical composition with the structural arrangement responsible for the measured response.
Crystal orientation determines how strongly electron channeling influences the beam’s interaction with atomic planes. Two regions with related chemical signals can therefore produce different angle-dependent responses if their structures or orientations differ. Accounting for orientation helps prevent chemical interpretation from being separated from crystallographic context, which is especially important when distinguishing phases in crystalline materials.
The measurement begins by selecting a crystalline region for analysis and recording its elemental X-ray response while the electron beam is tilted through a controlled angular range. The resulting intensity changes are organized as rocking curves. Researchers then compare those curves with elemental spectra to relate signal behavior to phase identity and crystal orientation.
This approach is most useful when composition alone cannot fully distinguish regions within a crystalline sample. It supports studies of minerals, alloys, semiconductors, and other materials in which phase assignment depends on both chemical signals and structural orientation. The combined information can clarify whether similar compositions correspond to the same phase or to distinct crystalline regions.
Researchers compare the angle-dependent X-ray patterns from the regions rather than relying only on their elemental spectra. Differences in rocking-curve behavior may reflect distinct phases or crystallographic orientations, even when the chemical signals appear similar. This combined analysis provides a higher-resolution way to connect local chemistry with the crystal structure of each region.