Raman scattering yields cubic crystal grain orientation

Sci Rep. 2019 Jun 28;9(1):9385. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-45782-z.

Abstract

The paper proposes a fully optical method for determination of a cubic crystal grain orientation in a sample inspected by a Raman microscope. The method is based on a universal and strong polarisation anisotropy of the Raman scattering by doubly degenerate optic phonon modes and it only requires a standard Raman microscope equipped with a polarisation analysis. Explicit formulas for the orientation of the crystal grain are derived. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated by comparing grain orientations in a polycrystalline cubic lacunar spinel GaV4S8 determined independently using electron backscatter diffraction and Raman scattering methods.