Discover eWARP: Redefining Speed and Sensitivity in EBSD

insights from industryDaniel GoranProduct Manager EBSDBruker

First, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Bruker? 

My name is Daniel Goran, and as the EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction) Product Manager in Bruker's Electron Microscope Analyzers Business Unit, I drive EBSD-focused innovation and am deeply involved in diverse internal and external R&D projects. As Germany’s EBSD representative on the ISO committee, I help shape international standards.

With a PhD in metallurgical engineering, completed in 2003, and subsequent experience across academia, research, and industry, I have over two decades of expertise in EBSD. In addition, I am the author or co-author of multiple peer-reviewed papers and patents focused on EBSD-related methods and solutions.

The eWARP detector represents a significant step forward in EBSD technology. What were the primary goals or challenges that drove its development?

The development of eWARP was driven by a clear vision: to redefine the limits of EBSD performance in terms of speed, sensitivity, and spatial resolution. Our primary goals were to enable ultra-fast data acquisition, high-fidelity pattern capture, and robust performance in challenging SEM environments.

One of the biggest challenges was balancing speed with precision – ensuring that even at warp-speed acquisition rates, the quality of crystallographic data remains uncompromised. We also aimed to support emerging techniques like 4D-STEM and large-area mapping, which demand both throughput and stability.

eWARP, the fastest and most sensitive EBSD detector ever, on a background of a 3D printed steel sample with resolved features as small as 100 nm wide. Image Credit: Bruker Nano GmbH – Electron Microscope Analyzers

eWARP is noted for its advanced optics and high-speed data acquisition capabilities. Can you explain how these features translate into practical advantages for researchers and microscopists?

Absolutely. The advanced optics in eWARP are designed to maximize pattern clarity and contrast, even at low beam currents or short dwell times. This means researchers can work faster without sacrificing data quality. High-speed acquisition – up to thousands of patterns per second - translates directly into shorter experiment times, higher throughput, and the ability to capture dynamic processes in in situ studies. For microscopists, this means more efficient workflows and the ability to tackle previously impractical experiments, such as real-time phase transformations or rapid grain orientation mapping.

Bruker emphasizes "Warp Speed Performance" with eWARP, particularly with respect to large-area and 4D-STEM mapping. How does this impact workflows in high-throughput or in-situ experiments?

Warp Speed Performance is a game-changer. In large-area EBSD mapping, it drastically reduces acquisition time, allowing users to scan entire samples in minutes rather than hours. For 4D-STEM, where data volumes are massive, eWARP’s speed and sensitivity enable real-time data collection with minimal drift and noise. This is especially impactful in in situ experiments, where temporal resolution is critical. Researchers can now observe microstructural changes as they happen, with confidence in the stability and accuracy of the data.

Phase map showing the distribution of Magnetite (blue) and Ferrite (green) in a Hematite pellet sample following hydrogen reduction for 20 minutes. eWARP was used to study the microstructural evolution of this sample over the reduction process. Learn more about this application.

Image Credit: Bruker Nano GmbH – Electron Microscope Analyzers

Thermal stability and low noise levels are key specifications mentioned for eWARP. Could you elaborate on how the design supports stable long-term measurements, especially in demanding SEM environments?

eWARP incorporates thermally optimized housing and low-noise electronics that ensure consistent performance over long acquisition sessions. This is crucial in SEM environments where temperature fluctuations and electromagnetic interference can degrade signal quality.

Our design minimizes thermal drift and electronic noise, enabling stable, high-resolution pattern capture even during extended or automated runs. This reliability is essential for applications like phase identification, strain analysis, and texture mapping, where data integrity is paramount.

Integration and user experience are often critical in analytical instrumentation. What has Bruker done to ensure the eWARP system is both accessible and adaptable to a range of SEM platforms and user needs?

We’ve prioritized plug-and-play compatibility with a wide range of SEM platforms, including both new and legacy systems. The eWARP detector is compact, easy to mount, and supported by Bruker’s intuitive software suite, which offers automated calibration, real-time feedback, and customizable workflows.

Whether you're a seasoned microscopist or a new user, the system is designed to be accessible, flexible, and scalable - from routine EBSD to advanced correlative techniques like EDS-EBSD and TKD.

With your background in nanostructured materials and microanalysis, how do you see eWARP influencing future research directions in materials characterization?

eWARP opens exciting possibilities in nanostructure analysis, especially in fields like energy materials, semiconductors, and advanced alloys. Its speed and sensitivity make it ideal for characterizing fine-grained structures, interfaces, and defect distributions at unprecedented resolution. I believe it will accelerate research in quantitative texture analysis, strain mapping, and grain boundary engineering, helping scientists design materials with tailored properties for next-generation applications.

EBSD results acquired from a martensitic steel sample measured at 10 kV and 12 nA. Such structures are notoriously difficult to accurately map at high resolution using a conventional EBSD detector. Learn more about this application. 

Image Credit: Bruker Nano GmbH – Electron Microscope Analyzers

In your role as Product Manager, how do you gather and incorporate feedback from the scientific community to guide ongoing improvements or updates to the eWARP system?

We maintain close relationships with our user community through technical workshops, beta testing programs, and collaborative research projects. Feedback is gathered continuously – from performance metrics to usability suggestions – and fed directly into our development pipeline. We also monitor emerging trends in academic literature and industrial applications to anticipate future needs. This iterative approach ensures that eWARP evolves in step with the scientific frontier.

Looking ahead, what technological trends or user demands do you foresee shaping the next generation of EBSD systems beyond eWARP?

I see a strong push toward multi-modal analysis, where EBSD is integrated seamlessly with techniques like EDS, CL, and even machine learning-based image analysis. There’s also growing demand for automated, AI-assisted workflows that reduce user intervention and improve reproducibility.

Future EBSD systems will likely offer higher spatial resolution, real-time 3D reconstruction, and cloud-based data management, enabling collaborative and remote research environments.

Finally, what excites you most about working on cutting-edge tools like eWARP, and how do you see your work contributing to the broader mission of Bruker in advancing materials analysis?

What excites me most is the opportunity to empower researchers with tools that push the boundaries of what’s possible. eWARP is not just a detector; it’s a platform for discovery.

Being part of a team that translates scientific challenges into technological solutions is incredibly rewarding. At Bruker, our mission is to advance materials analysis through innovation, and I’m proud to contribute to that by helping scientists unlock new insights into the structure and behavior of materials.

About Daniel Goran

Daniel Goran is a Senior Product Manager for Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) at Bruker Nano GmbH, where he has spent more than 13 years driving the growth, competitiveness, and technical direction of the EBSD product portfolio.

With a background that spans application science and product management, Daniel combines deep technical expertise with a strong understanding of market needs to support advanced materials characterization workflows. He previously held roles as an EBSD Application Scientist at Bruker Nano and Oxford Instruments HKL, working closely with researchers and engineers to optimize SEM-based microstructural analysis.

Daniel holds a PhD in Materials Science from Paul Verlaine University Metz, as well as master’s degrees in Physics and Metallurgy. His expertise includes materials science, scanning electron microscopy, and crystallographic characterization, and he is based in Berlin, Germany.

This information has been sourced, reviewed, and adapted from materials provided by Bruker Nano GmbH – Electron Microscope Analyzers.

For more information on this source, please visit Bruker Nano GmbH – Electron Microscope Analyzers.