EBSD image quality mapping

Image quality (IQ) maps constructed from electron backscatter diffraction data provide useful visualizations of microstructure. The contrast in these maps arises from a variety of sources, including phase, strain, topography, and grain boundaries. IQ maps constructed using various IQ metrics are compared to identify the most prominent contrast mechanism for each metric. The conventional IQ metric was found to provide the superior grain boundary and strain contrast, whereas an IQ metric based on the average overall intensity of the diffraction patterns was found to provide better topological and phase contrast.