Electron Channeling Contrast (ECC) Tomography: Dislocation Tomography Enabled by ECCI

3D characterization of dislocations is critical for understanding plastic deformation in crystalline materials but remains experimentally challenging. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides 3D reconstructions of dislocations but the necessity to use thin-foils, which are difficult to prepare and are small in scale, restricts statistical applicability. Here, we present a proof-of-concept for reconstructing the 3D dislocation microstructure using electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Unlike previous SEM-based approaches relying on serial sectioning, which is time-consuming and remove the material under study, our approach is non-destructive. Two electron channeling contrast micrographs of a single-crystal Ni specimen, acquired at distinct tilt-angles, were used to reconstruct six dislocations via stereomicroscopy. The reconstructed dislocation microstructure reveals glide behavior and instances of cross-slip. This method offers a fast, and non-destructive path to 3D dislocation analyses in bulk materials using standard SEM equipment, extending tomography concepts beyond TEM to accessible SEM-based workflows.