A new TEM method of interfacial thin-film characterization.

Nano-scale thin films are of wide interest. The distribution of angles between the grain-boundary plane and the surfaces of such films can affect their mechanical behaviour. A transmission electron microscopy method is described to measure the distribution of such angles. This method is based on the well-known double-diffraction effect from two overlapping grains, but its implementation at multiple interfaces is made practically feasible by recent advances in computer and digital imaging techniques, as demonstrated in this paper.