  One of the primary uses for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is to
measure diffraction pattern images in order to determine a crystal structure
and orientation. In nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED) we scan a moderately
converged electron probe over the sample to acquire thousands or even millions
of sequential diffraction images, a technique that is especially appropriate
for polycrystalline samples. However, due to the large Ewald sphere of TEM,
excitation of Bragg peaks can be extremely sensitive to sample tilt, varying
strongly for even a few degrees of sample tilt for crystalline samples. In this
paper, we present multibeam electron diffraction (MBED), where multiple probe
forming apertures are used to create mutiple STEM probes, all of which interact
with the sample simultaneously. We detail designs for MBED experiments, and a
method for using a focused ion beam (FIB) to produce MBED apertures. We show
the efficacy of the MBED technique for crystalline orientation mapping using
both simulations and proof-of-principle experiments. We also show how the
angular information in MBED can be used to perform 3D tomographic
reconstruction of samples without needing to tilt or scan the sample multiple
times. Finally, we also discuss future opportunities for the MBED method.
