  Defects in crystalline materials control the properties of materials, and
their characterization focuses our strategies to optimize performance. Electron
microscopy has served as the backbone of our understanding of defect structure
and their interactions owing to beneficial spatial resolution and contrast
mechanisms that enable direct imaging of defects. These defects reside in
complex microstructures and chemical environments, demanding a combination of
experimental approaches for full defect characterization. In this article, we
describe recent progress and trends in methods for examining defects using
scanning electron microscopy platforms, where several emerging approaches offer
attractive benefits, for instance in correlative microscopy across length
scales and in situ studies of defect dynamics.
