The examination of the local chemistry of a specific interface by atom probe
tomography (APT) is increasingly facilitated by using transmission Kikuchi
diffraction (TKD) to help position specific crystallographic features
sufficiently close to the apex of the needle shaped specimen. However, possible
structural damage associated by the energetic electrons used to perform TKD is
only rarely considered and is hence not well-understood. Here, in two case
studies, we demonstrate that APT specimens are subject to electron beam damage
during TKD mapping. First, we analyze a solid solution, metastable
\b{eta}-Ti-12Mo alloy, in which the Mo is expected to be homogenously
distributed, yet APT reveals a planar segregation of Mo amongst other elements.
Second, specimens were prepared near {\Sigma}3 twin boundaries in a high
manganese twinning-induced plasticity steel, and subsequently charged with
deuterium gas. Beyond a similar planar segregation, voids containing a high
concentration of deuterium are detected. Both examples showcase damage from TKD
mapping leading to artefacts in the compositional distribution of solutes. We
propose that the structural damage is created by surface species, including H
and C, subjected to recoil from incoming energetic electrons during mapping,
thereby getting implanted and causing cascades of structural damage in the
sample
