Winkelmann, AimoVos, Maarten2015-12-100031-9007http://hdl.handle.net/1885/66925A novel diffraction effect in high-energy electron backscattering is demonstrated: the formation of element-specific diffraction patterns via nuclear recoil. For sapphire (Al2O3), the difference in recoil energy allows us to determine if an electron scattered from aluminum or from oxygen. The angular electron distribution obtained in such measurements is a strong function of the recoiling lattice site. These element-specific recoil diffraction features are explained using the dynamical theory of electron diffraction. Our observations open up new possibilities for local, element-resolved crystallographic analysis using quasielastically backscattered electrons in scanning electron microscopy.Author/s retain copyrightKeywords: Backscattered electrons; Crystallographic analysis; Diffraction effects; Dynamical theory; Electron distributions; High-energy electron; Lattice sites; Nuclear recoil; Recoil energies; Site-specific; Angular distribution; Backscattering; Diffraction; Elec201110.1103/PhysRevLett.106.0855032016-02-24