A detailed analysis from cross-section of the rapidly solidified layer of a steel formed by low energy high-current pulsed electron beam (LEHCPEB) treatment has been successfully carried out. The results of electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) measurements revealed that the microstructures and phase components vary dramatically through the melted layer and the heat-affected zone. The exact nature of such a graded structure also changes with the number of pulses. The phase transformation paths vary at different depth and different areas (close to or far away from the carbides). They are determined both by (i) the temperature gradients and (ii) the composition gradients in the surface layers induced by the LEHCPEB treatment. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.