Total number of electrons emitted from a sample divided by the total number of electrons incident at a given energy and angle of incidence.
\(\sigma = \delta + \eta\), where
\(\delta\) is the
secondary-electron yield and
\(\eta\) is the
backscattering coefficient.
Note: The total secondary-electron yield is often simply called the secondary-electron yield. This leads to confusion with the term of that name, which is restricted to secondary electrons with energies less than or equal to \(\pu{50 eV}\).
Source:
PAC, 2020, 92, 1781. 'Glossary of methods and terms used in surface chemical analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2020)' on page 1831 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0404)