Apparatus, method and system for imaging and utilization of SEM charged particles

A method, comprising:

• emitting primary electrons toward a sample such that the primary electrons being incident on the sample causes emission of charged particles from the sample;
• accelerating the charged particles from the sample and toward a surface of a detector by way of an electron focusing element, such that the charged particles are projected onto the surface of the detector according to a distribution of the charged particles about a direction of emission of the primary electrons;
• and
• receiving the charged particles at the surface of the detector, wherein responsive to a charged particle in the charged particles being incident on the surface of the detector, the detector emits light indicative of a location at which the charged particle struck the surface of the detector;
• capturing an image of the detector by way of a camera;
• computing, by way of a computing system, an Abel transform based upon the image of the detector, wherein the Abel transform is indicative of the distribution of the charged particles about the direction of emission of the primary electrons;
• and
• outputting, by way of the computing system, data indicative of an energy and an angle of emission of the charged particle based upon the Abel transform.

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) system, comprising:

• an electron source that emits primary electrons toward a sample such that the primary electrons being incident on the sample causes emission of charged particles from the sample;
• an electron focusing element that is configured to accelerate the charged particles away from the sample;
• a detector positioned such that the electron focusing element accelerates the charged particles toward the detector in a manner such that the charged particles are projected onto a surface of the detector according to a conical distribution of the charged particles about a direction of emission of the primary electrons, wherein responsive to a charged particle in the charged particles being incident on the detector, the detector outputs an indication of a location of incidence of the charged particle on the detector;
• a camera that outputs an image of the detector;
• and
• a computing device that receives the image of the detector from the camera computes an Abel transform based upon the image of the detector, wherein the Abel transform is indicative of the conical distribution of the charged particles about the direction of emission of the primary electrons, wherein further the computing device outputs data indicative of an energy and angle of emission from the sample of a first charged particle in the charged particles based upon the Abel transform.