Microtexture studies of lead scandium tantalate ceramics

Abstract

Crystallographic orientations of various samples of polycrystalline lead scandium tantalate, Pb₂ScTaO₆, abbreviated PST, were investigated by the technique of backscatter Kikuchi diffraction pattern (BKDP) in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The samples were processed under different conditions. Several hundreds of crystal orientations in the bulk ceramics were examined by BKDPs and the results were plotted in microtexture pole- and inverse pole-figures for determination of the average and local preferred orientations. These results were compared with crystallographic information obtained using X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, local textures in certain selected regions in the PST ceramics were also determined.

Keywords:

• Microtexture
• Pb₂ScTaO₆
• Scanning Electron Microscope
• Backscatter Kikuchi Diffraction Patterns (BKDPs)
• Electron Backscatter Patterns (EBSPs)
• X-ray Diffraction